Current Students

Current Students: Managing your VA Education Benefits

The Veterans Resource Center (VRC) is here to ensure your military education benefits are processed smoothly every term.

To keep your funding active, prevent out-of-pocket costs, and ensure your monthly stipend arrives on time, please review your ongoing responsibilities below.

Requesting Certification (Every Term)

You must request certification/use of VA Education Benefits from the EWU VRC every single quarter or semester you wish to use them. They do not renew automatically.

Students should follow these steps and meet the deadlines specified by EWU VRC.

What to do: Submit your class schedule to the VRC as soon as you register. For specific instructions on how to submit the class schedule, students can refer to the directions provided at this link: Schedule Submission Directions.

Why it matters: The VRC must review your class registration to ensure every course applies directly to your declared degree, minor, or certificate program. Please note that the VA will not pay for any courses that are not directly applicable to your declared program objective (degree, minor, certificate).

Enrollment Requirements

VA Education benefits are paid out based on the number of credits you are certified for. Check the chart below to ensure you are maintaining your desired status:

Certified For:	Undergraduate	Graduate
Full Time	12+ Credits	8+ Credits
Three-Quarter Time	9-11 Credits	6-7 Credits
Half Time	6-8 Credits	4-5 Credits

Reporting Changes in Your Enrollment

It is the responsibility of the student to inform the VRC of any changes promptly. This ensures that your benefits are processed accurately and efficiently.

Prompt notification helps prevent overpayments of benefits, which can occur if the VA disburses funds based on an outdated or incorrect course schedule.

By being proactive and informing the VRC immediately when there are changes to your schedule, you can help maintain the smooth processing of your VA Educational Benefits and avoid potential complications down the road. This ensures that you receive the support you need for your education without interruptions or errors.

Monthly Verification of Enrollment

You’ll need to verify your enrollment with the VA every month to receive your benefit payments. Your enrollment verification helps avoid overpayments that you would need to pay back later.

Refer to VA website for policy and ways to complete this online via your VA account access, text message, email or phone. https://www.va.gov/education/verify-school-enrollment/

With any questions on this process contact the VA in Muskogee, Oklahoma at 888-442-4551 or via ASKVA online

Students receiving CH31 VR&E benefits do not verify attendance

Renew Applications for Financial Aid

While applying for federal financial aid is a personal choice, we highly encourage all student veterans to file a FAFSA annually. Refer to EWU Financial Aid office for more information.

Sometimes certain institutional aids can conflict with how VA Education Benefit funding is disbursed. We recommend sharing your financial aid award package with the VRC office so our team can help you maximize your overall funding resources.

FAFSA and VA Educational Benefits are completely independent programs—one does not reduce or determine the other.

Guest Students

A question that comes up is “Can I attend another school while attending EWU?” The answer is Yes, if the class(es) will transfer back to EWU for your declared degree.

When using VA Educational Benefits at another school (secondary or guest school) while enrolled in a primary school (parent school), coordination between both schools’ School Certifying Officials (SCOs) is essential. By working closely with the SCOs at both your primary and guest schools, you can ensure that your VA Educational Benefits are properly certified and that you receive the support you need to pursue your education across multiple institutions.

Here’s how you can navigate this process effectively:

Consult with your faculty academic advisor the transferability of courses between schools. You can view course equivalencies via the EWU Transfer Guide online at: Eastern Washington University Transfer Guide
Ensure that both SCOs are aware of your dual enrollment status. They may need to communicate directly to verify your enrollment details and ensure accurate processing of VA benefits.
- Inform your primary school’s SCO about your intention to take courses at another institution using VA benefits. Provide them with any necessary documentation or forms required by your primary school.
- Contact the SCO at your guest school to initiate the certification process. They will need information such as your enrollment status, course schedule, and any specific requirements they have for certifying VA benefits.
Send parent school (EWU) class schedule of guest school requesting letter be sent to the guest school
EWU will send the guest school the parent letter so the SCO can update VA on attendance there.
Once completed with class, it is the student’s responsibility to have transcripts submitted from guest school to EWU for update of their EWU student record.

Connect with the VRC Office

Have questions about your specific benefits or registration? Reach out or stop by!

Location: Showalter Hall, Room 122
Phone: (509) 359-7040
Email: veterans@ewu.edu