The VA Process

The first and most critical step in utilizing VA benefits is identifying your eligible chapter, as this will determine not only what benefits you receive as you attend Thomas Edison State University, but will also determine how tuition is paid.

The VA chapters can be separated into the two major categories.

Tuition (Up-Front)

This category contains the VA chapters under which tuition is paid directly to the University on behalf of the student. They include:

Tuition (Reimbursement)

This category contains VA chapters under which tuition is not paid to the University directly. They include:

• Chapter 1606 (Montgomery GI Bill Selected Reserve)
• Chapter 1607 (Reserve Educational Assistance Program)
• Chapter 30 (Montgomery-GI Bill)
• Chapter 32 (Veterans' Educational Assistance Program)
• Chapter 35 (Survivors and Dependents Assistance)

Under these programs, you will be responsible for payment of tuition at the time of registration. The VA will then provide you with a direct entitlement (reimbursement).

Because of this, financial aid is strongly encouraged, as it can minimize the initial out-of-pocket cost. It is also important to note that civilian corporate or work-place educational benefit programs may be able to be used in conjunction with these chapters, further minimizing the out-of-pocket cost.

ACTIVATE: It is during this step that you should follow the directions to activate or change your VA benefits with the VA.

Regardless of which VA chapter you may qualify for, the first step after determining your eligibility is to enroll with Thomas Edison State University. Browse our more than 100 available degree programs to determine which path is right for you.

Once you have determined your degree program, you should complete the online application and submit your transcripts.

Enrollment: 5-7 Business Days
Once the application has been processed, you will receive a letter welcoming you to the University, which will provide critical information, such as your college ID and information on your next steps.

Evaluation: 4-6 Weeks
Once transcripts have been received, the Office of the Registrar will begin to work on applying your previous military and civilian experience to your chosen degree program. Upon completion you will receive a notification, indicating how you can access your newly completed academic evaluation.

Apply: It is during this step that you should follow the directions to apply your VA benefits with Thomas Edison State University.

So you have your academic evaluation in-hand, great! Now what? The next recommended step is scheduling an appointment with your enrollment counselor to review the onboarding process.

The Parent Letter: Transfer Courses
While you are planning your Thomas Edison State University courses with an academic advisor, you may also want to add courses that you plan to take at a local college, to later transfer into your degree. One of the most common reasons to do this is to maximize your housing benefit under the Post-9/11 GI Bill^®, as the VA only pays 50% of a nationalized rate if you are pursing only online courses exclusively.

Generally students will chose to maximize this benefit by registering for six credits with Thomas Edison State University, and three credits with a local institution. This meets the 7-credit or greater requirement to receive full-time benefits, and since at least once of these courses is a local “on-campus” course, the Veteran will receive the full housing allowance, based on the location of the local college.

Each college is responsible for submitting their own registration information to the VA. The VA will then collect this information, and process the appropriate benefit. This means that while we will certify your TESU registrations to the VA on your behalf, your local college will be responsible for submitting their registration information.

The only way they can do this while ensuring that the courses-in-question apply to your degree at Thomas Edison State University is by receiving a signed parent letter, explained in greater detail in step 4, given submitting the actual request happens only when you are ready to register.

You are enrolled with the University, have submitted your VA benefits, received an academic evaluation, and planned courses into your degree with an academic advisor. If you have made it this far, you are almost there!

Finally, you get to register for courses!

There are two main methods of registration. You can call the Registration Line directly at (609) 633-9242, or you can register through your Student Self-Service portal.

The advantage to registering online is that you can access registration 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, as it is always “on”. However you may want to consider calling in your registration request if you anticipate payment of tuition, or you wish to verify any issues that may delay the registration, as our representatives will be able to provide you with live assistance should there be any potential problems.

Whether or not you will pay for tuition at the time of registration depends on your eligibility:

Tuition Payment Due

• Chapter 1606 (Montgomery GI Bill® Selected Reserve)
• Chapter 30 (Montgomery GI Bill)
• Chapter 32 (Veterans' Educational Assistance Program)
• Chapter 35 (Survivors and Dependents Assistance)
• Chapter 33 (Post-9/11 GI Bill) under 100%

Tuition Covered

• Chapter 31 (Veteran Readiness & Employment (VR&E) Program)
• Chapter 33 (Post-9/11 GI Bill) at 100%

If financial aid has been awarded, tuition may not be immediately due, but it is highly advisable that you determine your aid amount before the term starts, so as to ensure tuition will be covered.

The Parent Letter: Registering for Transfer Courses
If you are going to compliment your registration with courses from a local institution, and you wish to use VA benefits at that institution, you will need to complete a parent letter request form. As detailed in the previous step, this letter will enable the VA certifying official at the local institution to submit a certification to the VA on your behalf, so that you can then maximize your benefits received.

Books: Course Materials and VA Benefits
While there are some chapters that may offer benefits specific to books and course materials, we always recommend purchasing books or materials BEFORE receiving VA benefits, as they may not arrive in time to receive the materials before the course starts. The only exception to this advice is for our Chapter 31 (VR&E) students, as they work directly with their VA counselor to secure payment for books.

Once you have registered for courses, the University will then submit a certification on your behalf to the VA. Based on VA policy; when, why and what we send depends on the chapter.

When: Pre-Certifications
Certifications for the Post-9/11 GI Bill^® and Veteran Readiness & Employment (VR&E) Program are submitted prior to the first day of the class, so as to ensure that any applicable benefits, such as the book stipend of for the Post-9/11 GI Bill, are received in a timely manner. The certifications for the Post-9/11 GI Bill do not include tuition at this time.

When: Amended Certifications
Certifications for all other chapters are submitted within the first month of the class, as are amended certifications for the Post-9/11 GI Bill, which now include the final tuition and fees.

Why: Amended vs. Pre-Certifications
You may have noticed that only the Post-9/11 GI Bill and the Veteran Readiness & Employment (VR&E) Program receive a pre-certification, while the other chapters receive a later certification, and asked yourself, “why the difference?”

There are several key reasons for this:

• Both the Post-9/11 GI Bill and Veteran Readiness & Employment (VR&E) Program pay certain benefits to Veterans before or upon the start of the class, such as the book stipend for the Post-9/11 GI Bill or a living allowance for VR&E students.
• Post-9/11 GI Bill students are now required to verify their enrollment on a monthly basis with the VA, and the process differs from older entitlement-based chapters (such as 1606 and 30), as the VA will initiate an inquiry, based on our certification, to verify attendance.
• Entitlements for all other chapters are paid after the first verification of attendance, roughly a month into the class, regardless of whether or not a certification was submitted prior to this.
• The VA prefers certifications with accurate tuition amounts, that is, after the withdrawal period, where any withdrawals or changes in registration have been made and are considered final. This not only reduces the amount of administrative work for the VA but also ensures a more stable benefit schedule for the Veteran.
• A second amended certification for our Post-9/11 GI Bill students is submitted because the initial pre-certification did not yet include the final tuition amount, due again to the VA preferring certifications with accurate tuition.

What: Included Items
So what exactly is included in a certification? Tuition, amount of credits, length of the term, type of credit (e.g., distance learning or local), and any other additional notes that may be necessary in the case of a special circumstance, are all included in certifications.

This allows the VA to then determine the correct benefit level and payout. Because a standard term at Thomas Edison State University is 12 weeks in length, a full 4 weeks shorter than a traditional semester, 9 credits is considered full-time at the University.

Once the books are purchased, the term starts, and certifications are submitted, the most important part can begin: successfully finishing your courses and continuing your education! But before getting lost in that research project, there are a few things we feel you should know that may help you to maximize your chances of success.

VA Enrollment Verification: Receiving Your Entitlement
While attending classes, you may be required to verify your enrollment with the VA. The process varies and does not apply to every chapter, but in order to receive your monthly entitlement, the VA may either need to verify that you are still enrolled within the courses for which you originally registered (Chapter 33) or that you are still attending your classes (Chapters 1606 and 30).

Terms: Attendance Patterns
You will only be able to start additional classes when the current classes end. This means that while there are 12 terms, or semesters, per year, you can only register for the next term that begins after your current term ends. While we will always review petitions for an exception to this policy, we feel that this attendance pattern helps to maximize academic performance by avoiding excessive credit overlap.

Withdrawal: What It Really Means
Life can get overwhelming at times, we get it, and will always work with you to try and find the best path to success. Sometimes however, a course withdrawal is necessary. While the withdrawal policy may seem daunting at first, there are a few things to understand about this option that will hopefully help clarify the right time to ask for a withdrawal.

• A VA-related withdrawal is assessed from the last day of engagement.
  Engagement in this case can include the submission of an assignment or discussion post, but not just logging into the course. So if you have explored all your options in a course and have come to the conclusion to withdrawal, do not wait, especially if you realize you will no longer be able to participate in the course, given the longer you wait, the more time goes by since your last participation.
  
  Remember: you are receiving benefits from the VA while you are active in the course; therefore if you know you are not going to be able to complete the course and do not wish to receive a failing grade, submitting a withdrawal sooner rather than later can spare you from a possible recoupment of benefits.
• The VA understands "life happens."
  Their official term for this is "mitigating circumstances." What does this mean in practical terms? The VA does allow exceptions, based on circumstances beyond your control, such as a loss of a family member. The VA will also automatically give you the benefit of the doubt for the first six credits. They call this the, "The 6-Credit Hour Exclusion." It's important to note that this exclusion only applies if you withdrawal while the course is still active.

While there may be costs associated with a withdrawal, the above items will hopefully help to minimize any costs associated with a withdrawal. If there are mitigating circumstances, we always encourage our students to contact us, so that we can then evaluate the available options.

Grades: Why They Matter
It may seem like we are stating the obvious, but grades really do matter! In fact, the VA requires Thomas Edison State University to enforce standards for satisfactory academic progress (SAP).

Satisfactory academic progress in this case means:

• Passing your courses with a minimum term, or semester, GPA of 2.0 or greater.
• Successfully completing at least 66% of the courses attempted.
• Maintaining a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or greater.

If any of these conditions are not met, then your account will be placed on a Veteran Academic Probation (VAP). While under this probation, you will have to work with a school certifying official for every registration, and registrations will be limited to a maximum of 9 credits, as we wish to ensure your success, to as to remove the probation as quickly as possible.

Inability to meet the standards for SAP while under probation can unfortunately lead to a temporary revocation of VA benefits until success is demonstrated.

Before you find yourself on probation and overwhelmed at the prospect of a potential denial of VA benefits, we recommend the following:

1. Limit the number of credits per semester.
   We realize that you may be anxious to complete your degree program and are looking to maximize the benefits received from the VA, but taking too many credits at once, and not being able to successfully complete them can actually hinder your degree progress in the future. Start small and if successful, use that as point to increase your studies.
2. Work with an academic advisor to plan your degree.
   Our advisors are waiting to assist you, not only in the planning of your courses, but also in providing any general assistance with questions or concerns you may have about a particular course. We strongly urge taking advantage of these services by scheduling an advisement appointment regularly, as this service is included within the program, and is provided free-of-charge. Our advisement staff can be reached by dialing (609) 777-5680.
3. Stop and evaluate your progress.
   Using the first two suggestions as a guideline, take a moment to occasionally evaluate your progress by using the unofficial transcript feature through Online Student Services. Ask yourself the following question: "in the past three terms, have I been successful in the courses attempted; why or why not?" You may find a certain subject area proved a greater challenge than expected, or that the course load was too heavy. If so; utilize the available college resources to reach out and formulate a new plan that will ensure success.

And remember that we are always here for you. If you find yourself in need of help, before the situation escalates, please reach out, as we are happy to assist!

Engagement: Staying Active
Activity: that is, actively participating in a course by contributing to the online discussions and submitting assignments according to the course calendar, is just as critical as grades, some may argue even more important, given that lack of participation may lead to an involuntary withdrawal from the course, which in-effect, could affect SAP.

Remember, we are here to help. If you find that you are not going to be able to meet the assignment or discussion schedule, contact your course mentor and notify them, as the majority of the time they will be willing to work with you in order to ensure your success. If you are anticipating long-term delays, then we also recommend reaching out to our office by sending an email to va@tesu.edu, as we may be able to suggest possible alternatives, based on the circumstances.

The last thing you want to do is NOTHING, as our office routinely checks for course engagement during the semester, and while we will reach out to you for a response before taking any action, it’s always best to stay ahead of any potential issues.

You chose a degree, planned your courses, invested countless hours, worked hard to maximize your educational benefits, and you believe you are ready to graduate. Despite the challenges, you did it!

Graduation: The Process
Before applying for graduation, it is a good idea to first confirm that you have the requirements of your degree through an academic advisor, as there are several factors that may affect your eligibility for graduation:

• Credits
  This is the most-apparent indicator of degree progress, and since you can easily gage your progress within your academic evaluation as you complete courses. Regardless, it is still a good idea to double-check with an academic advisor to ensure that your evaluation is error-free before moving forward with a request for graduation.
• Residency
  Thomas Edison State University offers our Veterans and Sevicemembers programs that a simplified tuition schedule. Instead of having to worry about a recurring yearly tuition, or miscellaneous fees, our “per-credit” programs offer the convenience of only tuition, and possibly a registration fee, making easier to calculate the cost of an education at Thomas Edison State University.
  
  Most of these programs do have a minimum residency requirement; meaning, you must complete a minimum number of credits with Thomas Edison State University under these programs in order to graduate. While the courses you take at Thomas Edison State University will often count towards your degree, you may be degree-complete, and still not have met the residency, especially if a great number of credits were initially transferred into your degree.
  
  Therefore it is always a good idea to consult with an academic advisorto ensure this requirement has been met.
• Grade Point Average
  It is essential that a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher be achieved before requesting graduation, as anything below this minimum will unfortunately be denied. It is important to note that only letter grades (A-F) affect cumulative GPA; therefore withdrawals and methods of learning that do not award a letter grade (such as TECEP exams) do not count towards GPA.

Once you have confirmed the above items as satisfied, you are ready to request graduation. It is important to note that the Post-9/11 GI Bill^® and Veteran Readiness & Employment (VR&E) Program both cover the graduation audit fee; however it is critical that you notify us of your intent on requesting graduation by sending a notification to va@tesu.edu, as we will then be able to amend the cost of graduation within our certifications to the VA.

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 website at www.benefits.va.gov/gibill.

Congratulations!

Alumni: Giving Back
You may have an ideal career in mind to maximize the use of your new degree, or you may already be employed in that ideal career field; regardless, we recommend that you check out our veteran resources, as they may be able to help make the most of your achievement.

Finally as you contemplate your journey in arriving here, you may want to you consider giving back to Thomas Edison State University. While we would most-certainly appreciate it, as your help enables us to develop new programs, future students will also thank you, as the Thomas Edison State University Foundation plays a pivotal role in the creation of new scholarships.

Regardless of where the future may take you, we thank you for choosing Thomas Edison State University as your partner in furthering your educational goals, and we hope that our contribution has enriched your life in a meaningful way!