Using Your VA Benefits at North Carolina State University

1. Using Your VA Benefits at North Carolina State University New Student Orientation (Click on each slide to advance)

2. Welcome! • We hope this slide show will provide helpful information as you begin your academic career at North Carolina State University. • The VA Office is located in the basement of Harris Hall and our hours are 8am to 5pm Monday through Friday. • North Carolina State University Veterans Affairs Office: • 1000 Harris Hall • (919) 515-3048 • veterans_affairs@ncsu.edu

3. VA Telephone Numbers • VA Regional Office in Georgia • 1-888-442-4551 • VA Monthly Verification • 1-877-823-2378 • Direct Deposit Center for Education • 1-877-838-2778

4. VA Resources • Veteran’s Readjustment Counseling Service • 919-856-4616 • North Carolina Division of Veterans Affairs • 919-733-3851 • North Carolina Employment Security Commission • 919-733-3941

5. Certification Checklist • Apply to NC State, include all official transcripts • Once you are accepted into a degree program, submit your Application for Benefits + your DD-214 or NOBE to the VA Office • Meet with your academic advisor and enroll in classes • Complete an enrollment worksheet • Make contact with the VA Representative and obtain your initial information sheets (also a great time to ask questions) • Keep in touch! Registration changes could make a difference in your monthly benefit!

6. General Timeline • Processing for new VA students takes anywhere from 6-8 weeks. Understand that you may incur some out-of-pocket expenses while you wait for your first benefit payment. • Changes in your certification may cause delays to future benefit distributions, so please inform the VA Representative as soon as you make a change in your registration.

7. What do you need to provide? • Before you meet with the VA representative to start receiving your education benefits, you will need to provide the following: • Your DD-214 (or NOBE, DD-2384, if you are a member of the Selected Reserve or National Guard). • Certified copies of your DD-214 can be obtained from any county courthouse/Register of Deeds, or from http://vetrecs.archives.gov • Submit official copies of all transcripts with your admissions application.

8. I have the required information, now what? • You must be accepted into a degree program at NC State University. • You need to apply for your GI Bill education benefits. You can come see the VA Representative at NC State, or you can apply online by visiting the GI Bill website at http://www.gibill.va.gov

9. How do I know which form to complete? • Veterans will complete VA form 22-1990. • Eligible children and spouses will complete VA form 22-5490 • These forms can be completed online at http://www.gibill.va.gov or you may come into the office and complete them.

10. The next step in getting certified… • Once you have applied and been accepted into a degree program and applied for your benefits, you need to complete an enrollment worksheet. This tells the VA Representative that you wish to use your benefits for the current (or future) semester.

11. Enrollment Worksheet Options • You may access an electronic worksheet at http://www.ncsu.edu/registrar/va • You may come in to the VA Office at 1000 Harris Hall and complete an enrollment worksheet.

12. Enrollment Worksheet Guidelines • The VA Representative will certify you for a full academic year (Fall & Spring semesters) if you indicate on your fall worksheet that you intend to enroll for the spring semester. • Please submit a separate enrollment worksheet for summer terms. • If your initial enrollment is for a spring semester, you’ll be certified for that semester only.

13. Which courses get certified? • Courses that fulfill degree requirements will be certified. • Pre-requisites for required courses will be certified.

14. Non-eligible Courses • You cannot use GI Bill benefits for the courses listed below: • Dropped or withdrawn courses • Transferred credit courses • Challenged courses • Lifelong Education courses (UGS/PBS) • Courses you have already successfully completed • Audited courses • Courses not required in your program of study • Some remedial courses

15. Verification of Enrollment • Chapter 30 and Chapter 1606 students are required to either call the VA at 1-877-823-2378 or go online and use the WAVE link on the GI Bill website to verify their enrollment. Your check will not be issued unless you call each month. GI Bill WAVElink: https://www.gibill.va.gov/wave/default.cfm

16. Registration Changes • Remember that anytime you make a change that requires you to complete a form and submit it to the university, you probably need to fill out paperwork for the VA as well. This includes: • Name,phone,e-mail,address changes • Curriculum changes • Applications for 2nd major (or 3rd/4th) and minors

17. VA Vocabulary • Entitlement-the number of months you will receive your VA benefits (in most cases, this is 36 months) • Delimiting Date-the amount of time you have to use your GI Bill benefits.

18. Progress Toward Degree • You must make satisfactory progress toward your degree and remain in good academic standing with the university. • Graduate students must supply a Plan of Work to the VA Office by their second semester.

19. How do I know what “chapter” applies to my situation? • Your benefit entitlement is based on your status as an active duty serviceperson. • If you were a member of the Selected Reserve (including National Guard & Coast Guard), you are Chapter 1606 • If you were active duty military, you are Chapter 30 • If you are the eligible dependent or spouse (or widow) of a veteran, you are Chapter 35

20. New Chapter 1607! • You may qualify for Chapter 1607, which is a new benefit program for members of the Selected Reserve who were called to active duty on or after September 11, 2001. • If you think you qualify for Chapter 1607, contact the NC State VA Office. • More detailed information regarding Chapter 1607 is available from the NC State VA website. • http://www.ncsu.edu/reg_records/va/chapter1607.pdf

21. Chapter 31-Vocational Rehabilitation • Entitlement for Vocational Rehabilitation is determined on a case-by-case basis by a Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist. Check the GI Bill website for more information and helpful links. • 1-800-827-1000 is the Vocational Rehabilitation information line

22. Chapter 32 (VEAP) • Individuals must have initially entered active duty from 1/1/77 to 6/30/85 and must have enrolled and contributed to VEAP before 4/1/87.

23. Chapter 34/30 • Military retirees who entered the service (or agreed to delayed entry) before 1/1/77 and who were eligible to receive chapter 34 benefits (Vietnam era education program) on 12/31/89 comprise this category. The benefit is higher than the standard Chapter 30 benefit and pays an additional amount for dependents.

24. Payment Rates • For an up-to-date listing of payment rates by chapter, visit the GI Bill website at http://www.gibill.va.gov/education/rates.htm • or select the link from the NC State Veterans Affairs website. http://www.ncsu.edu/registrar/va

25. Benefit Payments • Benefits are paid monthly and are based on your enrollment status. • When you submit your enrollment worksheet, the VA Representative will verify that the courses you wish to be certified for meet VA requirements.

26. Loss of Benefits • You may experience a reduction in your benefits if you drop a course, withdraw from the university, take a non-eligible course, or change the grading method of a course to audit or credit only (unless the credit only option is allowed under your degree program).

27. Overpayments • If an adjustment to your enrollment status results in an overpayment situation, you will be notified by the VA. • You will either pay back the amount of the overpayment or have it deducted from a future benefit disbursement.

28. Keep in Touch! • It is very important to keep in touch with the NC State VA Office. You will need to report any changes to your enrollment status as quickly as possible (adds/drops/changes in grading method, etc.). Your monthly benefits are based on your enrollment status.

29. Enrollment Status for Undergraduates(Fall & Spring Semesters)

30. Enrollment Status for Graduate Students(Fall & Spring Semesters)

31. Summer Enrollment • During the summer, courses at NC State are offered during one of two 5-week terms or a 10-week term. • Since these are accelerated terms of enrollment, the VA uses its own formula to calculate the semester equivalent when figuring your enrollment status. • The following slides show the breakdown of enrollment status for undergraduates and graduate students for 10-week and 5-week summer terms.

32. Enrollment Status for 10-Week Summer Term(Undergraduate Students)

33. Enrollment Status for 10-Week Summer Term (Graduate Students)

34. Enrollment Status for 5-Week Summer Term(Undergraduate Students)

35. Enrollment Status for 5-Week Summer Term (Graduate Students)

36. We are here to help! • The VA Office is here to help you. Please call, e-mail, or stop by whenever you have questions or need assistance.

37. Return to:VA homepageRegistration & Records homepageNC State University homepage