FAQs

To determine which benefit you are eligible for, visit VA Education And Training Benefits | Veterans Affairs or call VA education Hotline at 1-888-442-4551.

Payment Rates

Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) Calculator: Zip code of K-State: 66506; Pay Grade: E-5 with dependents. This amount is reflective of the full time rate, 100% eligibility. If enrolled less than full time and/or less than 100% eligible for your benefit, the amount will be prorated accordingly.

For the most updated and complete list of programs and certificates approved by the VA for education benefits please visit WEAMS.

If a balance remains on your account, you will continue receiving notices from the Cashier's Office. If you still have a balance on your account after mid-semester and all classes have started, you should contact the Office of Veterans Affairs. You will not be dropped from classes due to non-payment. However, you may not be allowed to enroll in a future semester until the balance is paid.

Ch. 33 Post-9/11 GI Bill® users: Your enrollment is first certified to the VA without tuition and fees. A second certification will occur after the add/drop period with your tuition and fees, as now required by law. This means it will take longer for the VA to pay the tuition/fees, but a deferment is placed on your account.

For all students using Chapters 30, 35 & 1606: You are responsible for the payment of your K-State account balance. A deferment may be placed on your account to give extra time for VA payments to begin but you are still responsible for the term balance

Contact the Office of Veterans Affairs if you still have charges on your account the last month of the term.

The fall and spring semesters are 16-week terms. The VA pays according to each course's enrollment date. If you are enrolled in 9 hours for the entire 16-week semester, and also a 3-hr course for 8 weeks, you will receive the full-time housing allowance while taking the 8-week course. For the period you are only in 9 hours, the VA will pay you 3/4 time (For a 16-week term, 9 hrs = 80% of the full-time housing allowance rate; 8-hrs= 70%).

Summer classes are no different. If you are in two 3-credit hour courses that are 8 weeks long you will only get the full-time housing allowance for the time the two classes overlap. If one begins after the other one ends, VA considers you at the half-time rate. Note: The Post 9/11 GI Bill^® Benefit only pays out a housing allowance for greater than half-time enrollment.

There could be many reasons for this. This could be unpaid parking pass, athletic tickets, housing/dining charges, dropped classes. etc. If you have questions please contact either the Cashier’s office or the Office of Veterans Affairs.

• A Certificate of Eligibility is a letter sent from the Department of Veterans Affairs stating your eligibility for the benefit applied for, the number of months available as well as a percentage for the Post 9/11 benefit.
• Post-9/11 GI Bill users who are military/veterans: Obtain a copy of your “Statement of Benefits” by logging into your VA.gov account. This is the equivalent of a COE (Certificate of Eligibility).
• All other GI Bill/VA benefits users: Go to "Ask.VA.gov" (login required) and submit a request for the VA to mail a copy of your COE. Or call the GI Bill hotline at 888-442-4551 to request a copy.
• If you have never applied for benefits and received a COE before, visit the VA's website to apply.

Submitting your COE

• Students can upload a copy using our secure document upload Forms | Office of Veterans Affairs | Kansas State University (k-state.edu) or drop off in person (207 Anderson Hall). Students will only need to submit a COE the first time they are using a VA benefit, or if their benefit changes.

If you submit your Enrollment Certification Request Form before the first day of classes, the Office of Veterans Affairs will defer your billing due date, and you will not need to pay your balance on the first day of the term.

If you have charges other than tuition and mandatory fees on your account such as housing, parking pass and/or athletic tickets, you must pay the Cashiers Office specifically for those charges before the deferred due date.

On average, it takes K-State 14-21 business days to send your enrollment information to the VA (peak times, i.e., August & January, may take longer). The VA has 30 days from that point to process your paperwork and will email you once it is complete. You should then receive your monthly stipend at the beginning of the next month.

The VA typically pays around the first of every month for the previous month. Visit the GI Bill Comparison Tool to see your specific rates.

Ch. 33 Post-9/11 GI Bill®, 1606, and 30 must verify their enrollment EACH month to receive your stipend.

Verify Your School Enrollment | Veterans Affairs

When you submit the Enrollment Certification Request Form for the semester, a deferment is placed on your account. This deferment gives you and the VA time to pay your tuition and mandatory fees with no late fees.

The VA will send you a letter each semester regarding the amount of entitlement you used and the amount remaining.

• Chapter 31 (Veteran Readiness and Employment): you can check with your VR&E (Veteran Readiness and Employment) counselor for the details of your benefits.
• Chapter 33 (Post 9-11) who are military/veterans: check your Post-9/11 GI Bill Statement of Benefits on the VA's website.
• All other GI Bill users: Use the Ask.VA.gov feature or call the GI Bill hotline at 888-442-4551 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. CDT.

VA education benefits can only be applied for degrees or certificates approved by the VA. Only courses that satisfy degree or certificate requirements can be certified for VA education purposes. If a student takes a course that does not fulfill a program requirement, it cannot be submitted for VA purposes. Excessive free electives, for example, cannot submitted.

If you receive a failing grade or your degree requires a higher grade than obtained, the VA will cover the cost of the retake. The retake needs to be noted on your veteran enrollment request form with a reason from your academic advisor as to why the retake is needed.

Students must be enrolled full time in term-long classes to receive full GI Bill benefits, as your benefits are charged by day. This means short-term and non-standard courses can affect your full-time status and, therefore, your benefits (and housing allowance if you're using the Post-9/11 GI Bill).

For example, undergraduate students must be in 12 credits for the duration of the semester. If you have 12 credits but one of those courses starts later (e.g., October), you will be part-time until that course starts. If you are in 15 credits and one of the 3-credit-hour courses starts later, there is no issue since you are in 12 credits for the entire semester.

Before you enroll in shorter classes, it is a good idea to reach out to someone in our office to learn how the short courses can potentially affect your benefits.

Withdrawing from a class/term, especially outside the 100% refund window, can result in you owing KSU and/or the VA money.

It is best to speak with someone in our office before dropping enrollment(s) to understand the potential financial implications.

If you need to submit mitigating circumstances, let us know BEFORE you drop class(es) so that we can inform the VA.

Mitigating circumstances as defined by the VA include:

• An illness or injury afflicting the student during the enrollment period.
• An illness or death in the student's immediate family.
• An unavoidable change in the student's conditions of employment.
• Immediate family or financial obligations beyond the control of the claimant that require him or her to suspend pursuit of the program of education to obtain employment.
• Discontinuance of the course by the school.
• Unanticipated active military service, including active duty for training.
• Unanticipated difficulties with childcare arrangements the student has made for the period during which he or she is attending classes.

If you are enrolled or plan on enrolling at a guest school and using your VA education benefits you will have to fill out a Primary School Letter Request (PDF). The form will go through approval at Kansas State University first, then be forwarded to the guest school for certification.

If you receive grants/scholarships that are designated solely for tuition, you may want to think twice about using your VA benefits. The VA requires KSU to apply those funds toward tuition before billing the VA. The VA will pay any remaining balance of tuition or mandatory fees. Examples of financial aid awards to be deducted before reporting your tuition to the VA include Armed Forces Federal or State Military Tuition Assistance and any other types of restricted aid designated for tuition and required fees only.

Please contact our office directly to discuss your study abroad program. We will be able to let you know if the VA deems it eligible for benefit as well as any steps needed to have the course(s) certified.