Veteran Benefits - Frequently Asked Questions

As a VA recipient, you must submit a Request for Certification (RFC) as soon as you are registered, even if waitlisted. Continue to monitor your Baylor email for RFC confirmation receipt as VA Benefits, Financial Aid, and Student Accounts process your Request for Certification (RFC) in the order received.

To avoid payment delays and processing backlogs, submit your Request for Certification (RFC) immediately following class registration, even if waitlisted! You must submit a new RFC for every term to receive VA payment. Your VA education benefits are not processed automatically without you submitting the RFC each term.

While much of the Student Accounts’ monthly billing email applies to all students, please note that VA beneficiaries are exempt from late fees and will not be dropped for non-payment.

To avoid any registration holds, your account must remain current, and your balance must be below $500 prior to registration opening for the upcoming term. Please contact One Stop Student Financial Services as specific dates vary each term. 

If you change your schedule, you need to notify the VA Benefits Office so that they can determine if another certification must be submitted to the VA. NOTE: This could create a debt that you will owe to the VA, please read our Effects of Schedule Changes (Debt Information) page.

Yes, you will need to notify the VA Benefits Office that you have changed majors. This can cause classes you are registered for not to be certified to the VA.

No, Baylor University is not a public institution and therefore is not eligible for participation in this Texas program. For more information about the Hazelwood Act please visit https://www.tvc.texas.gov/Hazlewood-Act.aspx.

The tuition and fee payments under Chapter 33 or Chapter 31 from the VA that are sent directly to Baylor to pay on your student account will be memo'd as anticipated aid to reduce your amount due on your bill until the payment is received. For Chapter 33, a memo will not be set up until the VA Benefits Office has received your Certificate of Eligibility that shows you have entitlement remaining and you are officially certified with the VA. For Chapter 31, a memo will not be set up until the VA Benefits Office has received a valid VA Form 28-1905.
Books and supplies, housing stipends, and monthly stipends are all sent directly to the student and therefore will not be memo'd on your student account.

No. You can only use one VA education benefit at a time.

The only classes that can be certified to the VA are classes that fall within your degree plan. If you are not registered in all degree applicable classes, your benefits from the VA may be affected. For example, if you are an undergraduate student registered for 15 hours during the fall semester but 5 hours do not fall within your degree plan, you will only be certified for 10 hours and considered less than full time with the VA. You will receive benefits for only the 10 hours that are degree applicable. Some students run out of degree applicable classes during their last semester before graduation. Sometimes these students will take classes that are not degree applicable to remain a full time student. If you wish to be certified during your last semester before graduation and you have enough entitlement left, classes that keep you a full time student but fall outside of your degree plan can be certified to the VA. This is called Rounding Out.

The VA will prorate your benefit payments to end on the day you run out of entitlement.

Undergraduate students only; request Financial Aid review/reinstatement of institutional need-based grant and/or scholarships when not using or running out of Chapter 33 VA benefits. Students should also fill out their CSS Profile and FAFSA.

Chapter 33 VA Benefits Exception Request Form

Your entitlement can be broken down into months and days. There are 30 days for every month of entitlement. For example, 10 months of entitlement equals 300 days of entitlement. For every day of a term that you are a full-time student, you will use one day of entitlement. Any months with 31 days will only use 30 days of entitlement, and any months below 30 days will use 30 days of entitlement.

Example: A full time undergraduate student who completed the Fall 2019 semester. The semester begins on August 26, 2019 and ends December 17, 2019. The student used 112 days or 3 months and 22 days of entitlement.

*August 31st and October 31st cannot be counted towards the student's entitlement.

If you previously took a class and received the required grade for graduation, the class cannot be certified to the VA again. If you previously took a class and did not receive the required grade for graduation, the class can be certified to the VA again. However, if you retake the class a second time and do not make the required grade for graduation, you may have to repay the VA for the tuition, fees, and book stipend for the failed class.

A debt will not be created with the VA for failing a class. The VA will pay for you to repeat the class that you failed as long as it falls within your degree plan.

Yes, you will need to notify both the VA Benefits Office and the VA if your address changes. The VA still sends notifications and letters to you through the mail. If you do not have a valid address on file, you may miss very important and time-sensitive information sent from the VA. Be sure to keep your contact information updated in BearWeb in order to receive important notifications from Baylor.

Yes. The VA can help cover the cost of tutoring as long as you qualify and have entitlement left. For information about receiving this benefit, visits https://www.gibill.va.gov/resources/education_resources/programs/tutorial_assistance_program.html.

Your benefit payments will be prorated based on how many hours you will be taking. For current payment rates visit https://www.gibill.va.gov/resources/benefits_resources/rate_tables.html. Note: For students under Chapter 33, you will not receive a housing stipend if you are at half time or less.

Yes. The VA can help cover this cost as long as you qualify and have entitlement left. For information about receiving this benefit, for National Testing information visit https://www.gibill.va.gov/resources/education_resources/programs/national_testing_program.html and for License and Certification Testing information visit https://www.va.gov/education/about-gi-bill-benefits/how-to-use-benefits/test-fees/.

Have you verified your attendance with the VA each month? You can do so by going to https://www.gibill.va.gov/wave/index.do or by calling the VA's toll free Interactive Voice Response (IRV) telephone line at 1-877-823-2378.

You can go to the Office of the Registrar on the third floor of the Robinson Tower to request that an Enrollment Certification be sent to Champ VA. The letter includes the number of hours you are taking, your classification, full time status, and expected graduation date. Champ VA asks that a social security number be included in the letter. You will need to sign the request form to release your social security number to Champ VA.

This depends on when you submit your Request for Certification Form, when the VA Benefits Office submits your certification to the VA, and when the VA processes the certification to send payment. The VA processing time can take up to six weeks. The stipend payment is usually sent at the same time your tuition and fees payment is sent to Baylor. NOTE: a change in schedule resulting in a student debt could change the amount that the VA sends to you, please read our Effects of Schedule Changes (Debt Information) page.

For each month that you are attending classes, you will receive your housing stipend the first day of the following month. For example, for the month of September you will receive that payment on October 1st. Please be aware that partial months of attendance are pro-rated. For example, August and December are pro-rated for the fall semester. NOTE: If you turn in your Request for Certification Form after the deadline set by the VA Benefits Office, it could cause your housing stipend to be delayed.

AR Holds are placed on all students receiving VA Chapter 33 benefits. This hold will not prevent registration or the ability to request a transcript. The purpose of this hold is to alert the Cashier's Office to follow the refund policy and procedure for a student receiving VA Chapter 33 benefits.

No. The parking permit is not considered a mandatory fee; therefore, it cannot be certified to the VA.

In most cases, yes, your Financial Aid award package will be affected. For more information contact the Office of Financial Aid.

The Veteran or Active Duty service member must submit a transfer of entitlement request. For more information about making the request visit https://www.gibill.va.gov/benefits/post_911_gibill®/transfer_of_benefits.html.

The VA Benefits Office can write up a letter of housing that lists the estimated amount of housing allowance you will receive from the VA for the term(s). Letters can only be written for terms that you are registered for.

In most cases, no. After you have been accepted into the Yellow Ribbon Program you will be able to participate in the program as long as you have entitlement left, are continuously enrolled at Baylor University, and Baylor participates in the program.