Student Account
If you are using Ch 33 Post-9/11 or Ch 31 VR&E benefits and have a tuition-specific scholarship/waiver or tuition assistance, then there will be impacts to what is reported to the VA. Chaminade University will report the net tuition cost after tuition-specific funding is taken into account. This policy is in accordance with a VA regulation where the VA deems themselves as the last payer for tuition and fees. To avoid overpayments, report tuition-specific funds you are receiving on your Request to Certify form.
Tuition-specific funds that MUST be deducted:
- Tuition-based scholarships or plans
- Federal or State tuition assistance (e.g., Federal TA Reserves or National Guard)
- Tuition waivers (e.g., Graduate Assistant or Chaminade employee)
- Employer-based aid
- Any other means specifically designated to pay tuition and fees
Non-tuition specific funds that WILL NOT be deducted:
- Title IV Funds (e.g., Pell Grants or loans)
- Scholarships or other aid that are not specifically designated to pay tuition and fees
If you have a balance on your account, then you may continue to receive email notifications from the Business Office until full payment is received.
If you are receiving Ch 33 Post-9/11 or Ch 31 VR&E benefits and your classes have been certified to the VA, the Business Office will notate your account until the payment is made by the VA.
In the event that the VA’s expected payment does not pay for all of your account balance (e.g., you are less than 100% eligible for benefits) then you are required to pay your contribution by the payment deadline or set up a payment plan.
If you are receiving Ch 30, 35, or 1606 benefits, then you will need to pay your account balance by the payment deadline or set up a payment plan. Since these chapter benefits have the monthly payments sent directly to you, it is your responsibility to pay for the balance on your account.
A VA overpayment occurs when you receive more VA benefits and/or payments than you are entitled to. Overpaid funds must be paid back to the VA or to Chaminade University.
Common reasons for overpayments:
- Changes to your credit load (e.g., from full-time to ¾ time)
- Changes to your class schedule
- You never attended or stopped attending
- You drop or withdraw from a class that results in a reduction in tuition and/or fees
- Receiving a grade of No Credit (NC) or a Withdrawal (W)
- You earn zero credits (no credits earned) in a given semester
- You receive tuition-based funds after certification, resulting in a reduction to tuition and fees (Ch 33 Post-9/11 and Ch 31 VR&E ONLY)
If you receive a debt letter from the VA, review your debt letter for accuracy.
- If you believe that a debt was established due to a certification error, email us at [email protected]
- If your debt was not due to certification error and you have questions about the debt management process, contact the VA’s Debt Management Center (DMC) or submit an inquiry online via Ask VA: Manage Your VA Debt For Benefit Overpayments And Copay Bills
Tuition/fees debt
If you received a tuition debt letter from the VA, a School Certifying Official will review the debt letter and your student account to determine if you have been overpaid in tuition/fees. If an overpayment has taken place, the Business Office will assist with returning the overpayment back to the VA on your behalf.
If the Business Office determines that a credit is not available on your account due to Chaminade’s refund policies, then you will be responsible for repaying the VA per the letter’s instructions.
Non-tuition/fees debt
If you receive a non-tuition debt for monthly stipends, housing or books, you will be responsible for repaying the VA per the letter’s instructions since these payments are sent directly to you.
Certification Process
If your VA education benefits change, such as an increase or decrease in percentage for Post-9/11 benefits, you become eligible for a new education benefit, or you separate from active duty, you will need to provide us with new documentation of benefits. Please email [email protected] to report any changes to your benefits.
Section 1010 of Isakson and Roe (PL 116-315) requires VA School Certifying Officials to submit a second certification to verify Ch 33 Post-9/11 student enrollment within 30 days after the add/drop period. What does this mean for you? You will receive a confirmation email from the VA of an “Amendment.”
- If you’ve made changes to your classes, an amendment will be made to your certification, reporting the changes made to your original certification
- If you’ve not made any changes to your classes, an amendment will be made to your certification, verifying that no changes are being made to your original certification
We highly encourage you to meet with your academic advisor prior to registering for classes. Remind your advisor that you are using VA education benefits.
UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS: Your academic advisor can help you select VA certifiable classes.
- Day Undergraduate students: Academic Advising team / check Self-Service for your Academic Advisor
- Flex Online Undergraduate students: Academic Advisors
GRADUATE STUDENTS: Work directly with your department’s Graduate Advisor or the Director of your program. Remind them that the VA will only allow for the certification of classes that count as degree requirements. Review the following:
- Your plan of education must be aligned with the program’s requirements in the Chaminade University catalog for the academic year of your acceptance
Class Enrollment
If you have added, dropped, withdrawn or canceled a course used for certification, please complete the VA Change in Enrollment Status form. Please be aware of the University’s registration and tuition refund deadlines (100%, 50%, no refund) on the Academic Calendar, as they can impact your VA benefits.
If adding a class results in an increase in your training time (eg., full-time, ¾-time) and tuition and fees, then the VA will send separate payments to pay the new amount.
If dropping a class results in a decrease in your training time (eg., ¾-time, ½-time) and tuition and fees, the VA will issue a debt letter(s) in accordance with the debt management process.
The first time you drop or withdraw from a class resulting in an overpayment debt, the VA may automatically grant you a “six credit hour exclusion”.
If you withdraw from a class or withdraw altogether, the VA may retroactively stop payments as if you never attended – unless you are able to provide a reasonable explanation, usually something that happened beyond your control, that caused you to withdraw from one or more classes (also known as mitigating circumstances). If mitigating circumstances are provided to the VA, then benefits may be paid until the last day of your attendance. If you’ve already received payments from the VA, you may only be responsible for paying back a prorated amount of money effective from the last day of your attendance in class(es) through the end of the semester, rather than paying back all the benefits the VA paid for the withdrawn class(es).
The first time you drop or withdraw from a class resulting in an overpayment debt, the VA may automatically grant you a “six credit hour exclusion”.
The VA realizes that sometimes you need to drop a class, and for this reason, they may automatically grant you a six-credit-hour exclusion. This is a one-time use exclusion; once it is used, it doesn’t reset for the next semester, year, etc. This exclusion allows you to drop up to 6 credits and still keep the benefits you received up to the day you stopped attending classes.
- If you withdraw from 3 credits, the exclusion will be granted for 3 credits and the one-time exclusion is used
- If you withdraw from 12 credits, the exclusion will be granted for 6 credits. The one-time exclusion is used, and you must provide mitigating circumstances for the other 6 credits
Contact the VA’s Education Call Center to find out whether or not the 6-credit exclusion has already been applied to your benefits.
The VA will not pay for a class that you have already successfully completed with a minimum passing grade. This rule also applies to classes for which you receive transfer credit from another institution. If you did not complete a class with a minimum passing grade, the VA allows you to repeat the class. For example, if your program requires a “C” or better in a class, then the class may be repeated if you did not earn a “C” or better.
CH 31 VR&E: In order to repeat a class, you must obtain approval from your VR&E Counselor (VRC) even if you did not meet the minimum grade requirement. Your VRC must indicate their approval for the repeated class on your semester authorization.
Major, Minor and Certificate
Multiple majors/degrees are approved for VA education benefits. Your major(s)/degree program(s) must be declared before class requirements can be certified. Concurrent or dual Graduate degrees may be approved for VA benefits if approved by the appropriate Departments or Schools and by the Graduate Division.
The VA allows you to change your major or degree program. We highly encourage you to consult with an academic advisor; the change can make the difference between VA education benefits covering all of your degree and you needing to pay a portion out-of-pocket. Submit a change of major request by the deadline found on the Academic Calendar. We will only certify classes that count towards your current major or degree program.
The VA will pay for minor requirements as part of an approved major. You may request certification for a set of classes that are required to complete a minor (typically 15 upper-division credits) while pursuing the degree requirements for your major. Prerequisite classes for a minor cannot be certified. Your minor(s) must be declared before class requirements can be certified.
To obtain approval, contact your College/School academic advisor for instructions for the verification of an academic minor.
Undergraduate, Post-Baccalaureate, and Graduate Certificates may be approved for VA education benefits. You may request certification for a set of classes that are required to complete a certificate (typically 15 credits). Prerequisite classes for a certificate cannot be certified. Visit WEAMS for information about the certificate program’s eligibility for VA benefits. Approved certificate programs are listed under the “Institution of Higher Learning” or “Non-College Degree” program types. Most importantly, if your certificate is not listed, VA benefits will not cover the costs of your certificate program.
Pathway programs may be approved for VA education benefits. Your program/pathway must be declared before class requirements can be certified.