Payments
General VA payment information
Payments are made to the student for the number of days the student is certified for the month regardless of what GI Bill® the student is using. If a student is certified for a whole month, the full monthly benefit is paid. If the student is only certified for part of the month, the benefit is prorated as follows:
VA uses a 30-day month regardless of how many days are in the month. Divide the monthly rate by 30 to get the daily rate. If a student is certified from the 1st through the 15th, the student is certified 15 days and is entitled to 1/2 of the full monthly benefit.
Example:
- If the monthly benefit is $100 and the student is certified 1/1 through 1/15, the student is entitled to $50 ($3.33 per day for 15 days).
- If the student is certified 2/16 through 2/28, the student is entitled to $50 ($3.33 per day for 15 days)
- If the student is certified 3/1 through 3/31, the student is entitled to $100 (a full month's benefit).
Please be advised that the VA has canceled Break Pay. This means that if classes end on December 15 and the next semester does not start until January 20, a student will receive partial December payment at the end of December and partial January payment at the end of January but NO PAYMENT between December 16 and January 19!
For information on specific benefit amounts, please see the VA's Rate Tables.
Helpful Links
A kicker or CSP may have been offered to some service members while in service. These are transferable to the Post 9/11 GI Bill®.
Some service members may have contributed to the buy-up program. This is NOT transferable to the the Post 9/11 GI Bill®.
GI Bill® Specific Payment Information
Post 9/11 Bill (Chapter 33) students: Housing and books payments are made directly to the student (must have a direct deposit set up). VA benefit payments for tuition and fees are made directly to the school. Students are responsible for turning in a Certification Request form (CRF) to the school certifying official BEFORE the first day of class.
UAF will no longer be submitting tuition and fee amounts with the initial certifications.
This serves two purposes: first, it allows us to submit initial certifications more quickly so that the VA can begin to process BAH and book stipend payments for students. Second, for students that make schedule changes after their initial certification, it will drastically decrease the number of over-payments made to UAF by the VA and instances of large debts on students' accounts.
Tuition and fee amounts will be reported on the final certification, after add/drop. Tuition and fees will appear as an outstanding balance on your student account until they are received but Chapter 33 students accounts are flagged for deferment so that no late fees are assessed.
Chapter 33 recipients who have been rated at less than 100% eligibility or are taking course work that cannot be certified ARE responsible for the remaining percentage of tuition and fees and charges not covered by the VA by the fee payment deadline.
As of August 31, 2011, the VR&E program offers the same MHA rate as the Post 9/11 GI Bill® (Ch.33). Like the Chapter 33, the payments are made directly to the institution for tuition and fees. In addition to standard tuition and fee payments, VR&E pays for books and supplies and the UAF Office of the Bursar automatically puts funds on a Polar Express Card within 24-48 business hours of being certified and may authorize repayment for other expenses. See Chapter 31 information for specific VR&E procedures.
Payments are made directly to the student. The student is responsible for paying their UA account. This benefit payment now qualifies for direct deposit.
For all other GI BILLS® including MGIB - Chapter 30, MGIB-SR - Chapter 1606 and MGIB-REAP - Chapter 1607, the payment is made directly to the student for the number of days the student is certified for the month and NOT to the school. The student is responsible for payments to the Office of the Bursar and the student may be dropped for non-payment. It is the student's responsibility to self-verify at the end of each month to ensure timely payment.
GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government Web site at https://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill/.
If you did not sign up for a direct deposit on your original application or need to
change your bank information, call 1-877-838-2778 or change your direct deposit information
on the VA website.
You'll need your bank's 9-digit routing number. Your checking account's routing number
is the first 9 digits on the lower left side of the check. If you're using a savings
account, ask your bank for the routing and account numbers.
FAQs
It may take VA up to 30-45 days to review your claim. Once you have been certified through the school, you should receive an e-mail generated from the VA to the e-mail address you provided. If you are using Chapter 30, 1606 or 1607, please remember to self certify yourself at the end of each month to receive your money.
You will not receive your money before fees are due because you can only certify at
the end of each month when school starts. Students using Chapter 31: your Vocational
Rehabilitation Counselor will
pay the school tuition and fees directly for any approved courses. Students using
Chapter 33, Post 9/11 bill: the VA will pay the school tuition and fees directly (up
to your percentage) for any approved courses.
You have two options:
- You can pay for fees out of your own pocket or with financial aid (through FAFSA), or
- You can call the Office of the Bursar 907-474-7551 and set up a payment plan.