Detailed Instruction Letter

Detailed instruction letter

Welcome to Indiana University Bloomington!

In addition to certifying and helping with your benefits, the Center for Veteran and Military Students is a space to study, relax, have lunch, or converse with fellow students. We host a few events throughout the year that you won’t want to miss! Please follow our social media @IUCVMS Instagram to stay updated.

You can contact us at iub.military@iu.edu with any additional questions you may have. Please note that we are not the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

If you are using your veteran parent’s benefits, you must share this email with your parents!

We have online orientations that you must attend in order to understand your benefits at IU Bloomington. Sign up for one of these orientations.

The instructions below will cover the following topics:

VA benefit basics
Chapter 33 (Post 9/11 GI Bill) instructions and information
Chapter 35 (Survivors' and Dependents' Educational Assistance)
CVO (Indiana Tuition and Fee Exemption for Children of Disabled Veterans)

VA benefit basics

You (the student) must to have a VA.gov account. To get access, you will need to get a ID.me or Login.Gov account first.
You must know which VA benefit you are using (Chapter 33, 35, etc.).
The VA will only accept classes or electives required for your degree.
Submit a Request for Enrollment Certification (REC) every term after you register for classes.
Submitting the first REC will initiate the ‘no late fees’ policy as well as the in-state tuition rate if you qualify under our policy (see general guidance below for more info).
See each specific VA chapter below to understand payment and credit timeline expectations. For stipend rates, see the GI Bill Comparison Tool.
The VA will not pay any travel expenses for studies not on campus. This includes study-abroad programs.
There is no single scenario for studying abroad. The VA will only pay and give stipend credit for courses explicitly required for your degree. You must contact the Center for Veteran and Military Students the semester prior to your study-abroad program to discuss your specific situation.

Chapter 33 (Post 9/11 GI Bill)

You (the student, veteran or dependent) must apply through the VA to use this benefit. Your veteran parent transferring benefits through MilConnect is not the same as applying through the VA. The earlier you apply, the better!

When approved by the VA, you (the student) will have access to a Certificate of Eligibility and/or be able to view a statement of benefits in your VA.gov account.

In order for classes to count with the VA, they must be required for your degree or part of your allotted amount of electives. Verify these with your advisor!

Once you are registered for classes and believe you are not making changes, complete a Request for Enrollment Certification (REC).

Submitting the first REC will initiate no late fees policy as well as the in-state tuition rate if you qualify under our policy (see general guidance below for more info).

Please note:

We cannot certify any of your classes if any are waitlisted. We will wait until all courses are “enrolled.”
Tuition and fees have to be applied to your bill before we can certify your classes with the VA.
We normally wait until the university applies financial aid in order to get an accurate amount of tuition to certify. Late fees are waived if VA credit is not applied by the first (or any) due date.
The VA will pay tuition and required fees for courses. The VA does not pay all fees on your bursar bill. For example, the VA does not pay housing and dining fees.
The VA stipend (the VA will often refer to it as housing allowance and/or book allowance) is not directly tied to the cost of IU housing.
Stipend payments may not be perfectly timed (as in, not always paid on the first of the month). Build this timeline into your financial planning.
Stipend payments are prorated to the day, e.g. if class starts on August 24, they will prorate stipend for eight days in August, not the whole month.
There is no indication of a problem if you don’t see a payment credit on your bursar bill or receive your stipend payment before the first full month of classes (that is October 1 for fall) although you often see both before then.
The VA will send you an email when we have certified your classes. If you still have questions after that, we suggest reviewing your VA portal or you can contact the VA directly through AskVA.

Chapter 35 (Survivors' and Dependents' Educational Assistance)

You (the student) must apply through the VA to use this benefit. Your veteran parent having the required VA disability rating does not mean you have applied and can use this benefit.

When approved by the VA you (the student) will have access to a Certificate of Eligibility and/or be able to view a statement of benefits in your VA.gov account.

In order for classes to count with the VA, they must be required for your degree or part of your allotted amount of electives. Verify these with your advisor!

Once you are registered for classes and believe you are not making changes, complete a Request for Enrollment Certification (REC).

Submitting the first REC will initiate no late fees policy as well as the in-state tuition rate if you qualify under our policy (see general guidance below for more info).

Please note:

We cannot certify any of your classes if any are waitlisted. We will wait until all courses are “enrolled.”
Chapter 35 does not pay any tuition or fees on your bursar bill including housing and dining fees. Remember that CVO (if qualified) pays tuition, see information below.
The VA stipend (the VA will often refer to it as housing allowance and/or book allowance) is not directly tied to the cost of IU housing.
Stipend payments may not be perfectly timed (as in, not always paid on the first of the month). Build this timeline into your financial planning.
Stipend payments are prorated to the day, e.g. if class starts on August 24, they will prorate stipend for eight days in August, not the whole month.
There is no indication of a problem if you don’t see a payment credit on your bursar bill or receive your stipend payment before the first full month of classes (that is October 1 for fall) although you often see both before then.
The VA will send you an email when we have certified your classes. If you still have questions after that, we suggest reviewing your VA portal or you can contact the VA directly through AskVA.

CVO (Indiana Tuition and Fee Exemption for Children of Disabled Veterans)

CVO is not a VA benefit. It is a state financial aid benefit treated like any other grant you may receive through the FAFSA. Apply through ScholarTrack. You must apply annually.

You also must file your FAFSA annually. If you are not an Indiana resident, you must call the Indiana Commission on Higher Education (888-528-4719) to transfer your FAFSA to Indiana.

You have to be charged the in-state tuition rate (see general guidance below for more info).

You can use Chapter 35 at the same time (see instructions above).

If you are using CVO but not Chapter 35, you must contact our office to request a late payment fee waiver.

General guidance

Out-of-state tuition: If you are using a VA benefit and you live in Indiana, you are eligible for in-state tuition rates. IU's VPSO-08 policy reduces the need for Yellow Ribbon tuition-match by adjusting tuition rates for in-person students to in-state tuition.
In-state tuition rate decisions will be reviewed upon a student’s Request for Enrollment Certification (REC) submission; if qualified, this adjustment can take up to two weeks to reflect on your bursar bill.
You (the student) need to read your itemized bursar bill to understand your charges even if you are confident someone, financial aid, or the GI Bill^®is paying it.
If you receive a refund, you should review your bursar bill. If it was not expected, please contact Student Central or our office.
Any VA certification changes, like terminating semester benefits, has to come from you (the student) and from your IU email address.
Current service members or veterans using other benefits like Chapter 31, Federal Tuition Assistance, etc., please visit our website for additional information.
If someone else (like a parent or spouse) wants to discuss student account specifics, seeks information, or make payments to your bursar bill on your (the student) behalf, ensure that your third party user information is up to date. You can update that here.
IU, the state of Indiana, and the VA considers you (the student) responsible for your bursar bill.
If you have siblings, friends, or have attended other colleges, please be aware that processes may be different.
On a fun note, the Center for Veteran and Military Students holds events throughout the year including cookouts, open houses, and more. View our calendar to get involved.

Detailed Instruction Letter