QUESTION: How do I get my VA benefits started at UNA?

ANSWER: Please see the "Steps to Claim Benefits" checklist on our Veteran Affairs home page. If you need assistance with any of the forms, please email veteranaffairs@una.edu, call 256-765-4832, or schedule a meeting at una.edu/veterans. 

QUESTION: What if I am called to active military service during an academic term? 

ANSWER: 

Students who are called to active military service during an academic term may choose one of the following options:

1. The student may request a retroactive drop of their courses to the beginning of the semester with a full refund of tuition and fees.
2. If at least 75% of the term has been completed, the student may request that the faculty member assign a grade for the course based on the work completed, with the final grade assignment to be determined by the faculty member.  
3. A student may be assigned grade(s) of I (Incomplete) and will be subject to the University's Incomplete grade policy.

 Student are encouraged to discuss the best course of action based on their specific situation with their instructors and/or advisors. Please reach out to veteranaffairs@una.edu for further assistance. 

QUESTION: Veterans and active duty military personnel are considered automatically independent for federal need analysis purposes. However, the Veterans Administration and the US Department of Education use a different definition of veterans, leading to some confusion. How can I determine my veteran status?

ANSWER: http://www.finaid.org/military/veteranstatus.phtml

QUESTION: I am enrolled in school. When will I receive my benefits from the VA?

ANSWER: Because most schools start at about the same time, we are generally overwhelmed with enrollments at the start of a semester. It takes us about 10 to 12 weeks to process an enrollment during those times. Please be patient. We will process all of the enrollments in order by the date received. If you try to log into the Web Automated Verification of Enrollment system (WAVE) system and either cannot log in or see that your record has not been updated from last semester, we have not processed your current enrollment.

If you are receiving benefits based on your status as a service person, veteran, or reservist, you must verify your enrollment at the end of each month to receive benefits. Benefits are paid after each month of school is completed. Verification can be done beginning the last day of the month by using our Web Automated Verification of Enrollment system (WAVE) or by calling toll-free 1-877-823-2378 and using your touch-tone phone. These services are available 7 days a week, 24 hours a day. If you are receiving Post-9/11 (CH33) or Dependents Educational Assistance (CH35), benefits are sent automatically at the end of each month with no action required on your part.

QUESTION: What if I am receiving Education benefits, am called up, and drop out of school without receiving credit?

ANSWER:

• You are entitled to receive MGIB, MGIB-SR, VEAP, or DEA benefits through the date you drop out of school.
• If you were called up under Title 10 (federal authority), we will restore the entitlement you were charged for the period that you received benefits when you send us a copy of your orders or DD-214 verifying service under Title 10.

For example, if you were in school for one month and had to drop out, you keep the money for that period and we will add back a month to your entitlement for you to use at a later time. If you were called up under Title 32 (state authority), you don't receive the entitlement restoration benefit.

• If you have been overpaid with education benefits, we will postpone collection action if you are deployed to a combat area. However, once you return from a combat area, you may be responsible for any overpayment of benefits.

QUESTION: Are my education benefits taxable?

ANSWER: No. Any veterans’ benefits paid under any law administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) should not be reported as income to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

QUESTION: Can I receive credit for military training?

ANSWER: As a veteran, active-duty, or reserve status member of the US Army, Navy, or Marine Corps, depending on your basic active-duty service date/basic pay entry dates (BASD/BPED), you may be eligible to receive an American Council on Education Registry Transcript credit. You must request that an official transcript be sent to the UNA admissions office so it can be evaluated for credit and applied to your student record. 

The Army American Council on Education Registry Transcript System (AARTS), the Sailor Marine Corps American Council on Education Registry Transcript (SMART), along with the Coast Guard Institute (CGI), have aligned to implement one collaborative transcript program. The Joint Services Transcript (JST) is a unified and standardized document that will make it easier for academic institutions to review and articulate recommended college credits, as appropriate, for professional military education, training courses, and occupational experience of service members and veterans.

The website to access information and request a Joint Services transcript is https://jst.doded.mil/official.html.

Students with previous military experience in the Air Force still request an official transcript from the Community College of the Air Force.

QUESTION: How do I apply for Education benefits?

ANSWER: VA Regional Processing Offices in Atlanta, St. Louis, Buffalo, and Muskogee are accepting applications and supporting documents for all Chapter claims.

If you have never submitted an Education Claim to VA:
Submit an Application here: Application for VA Education Benefits (VA Form 22-1990).

If you have previously filed a claim for Education benefits:
A new application form is not required. However, you should submit any available documents such as your Discharge from Military Service (DD Form 214), copies of orders to active duty, and anything else available as evidence of qualifying service to help establish eligibility for this program. You should also submit a "Request For Change of Program or Place of Training" (VA form 22-1995) to transfer your education benefits to the new school you want to attend.

QUESTION: What is the Military Tuition Assistance Return Policy?

ANSWER: Tuition Assistance eligibility will be recalculated for students who officially withdraw from the course before completing 60% of the enrollment period. If a student earns a failing grade, the last date of attendance submitted by the instructor will be used to determine if the student withdrew unofficially and stopped attending class before the 60% completion. The official last date of attendance is used to determine the number of days completed.

The return amount will be determined based on a recalculation of eligibility using the following formula:
# of days completed
# of days in term = percent earned