Key Forms to Access VA Educational Benefits
These are important forms you will need to access your VA educational benefits at TESU.
Parent Letter Request
Planning to take courses at another institution? Want to receive VA benefits for these courses? Then you need a parent letter.
In order to maximize efficiency, the VA wants to ensure that any educational endeavors pursued by the Veteran actively contribute towards their VA-approved programs. When taking courses at another institution, this is accomplished by completing a parent letter request form. We will then review and send the signed document on your behalf directly to the school’s certifying official. This will enable the VA certifying official to then certify your courses to the VA, enabling you to receive the appropriate VA benefits.
Before submitting the parent letter request form, we ask that you please contact an academic advisor for approval and planning, as any transfer courses must be planned into your academic evaluation before we will be able to generate a parent letter on your behalf.
Yellow Ribbon Program Request
Thomas Edison State University is honored to have been selected by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) as a participating institution of the Yellow Ribbon GI Education Enhancement Program.
The Yellow Ribbon program, GI Education Enhancement Program (Yellow Ribbon Program) is a provision of the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008. This program allows institutions of higher learning (degree granting institutions) in the United States to voluntarily enter into an agreement with VA to fund tuition expenses that exceed the public in-state undergraduate tuition rate. The institution can contribute up to 50% of those expenses and VA will match the same amount as the institution.
Your tuition and fees may exceed these amounts if you are attending a private school or are attending a public school as a nonresident student.
Institutions of Higher Learning (Degree-Granting Institutions) may elect to participate in the Yellow Ribbon Program to make additional funds available for your education program without an additional charge to your GI Bill® entitlement.
Institutions that voluntarily enter into a Yellow Ribbon Agreement with VA choose the amount of tuition and fees that will be contributed. VA will match that amount and issue payment directly to the institution.
Eligibility and Application Process
Only veterans or active-duty personnel entitled to the maximum benefit rate (based on service requirements, i.e. 100%) or their designated transferees may be eligible for the Yellow Ribbon Program.
To apply for the Yellow Ribbon Program at Thomas Edison State University:
- Are VA Approved via CoE (Certificate of Eligibility for Post 9/11 GI Bill) at the 100% rate.
- You were honorably discharged from active duty for a service-connected disability and you served 30 continuous days after September 10, 2001.
- You are a dependent eligible for Transfer of Entitlement under the Post-9/11 GI Bill, based on your sponsor’s service under the eligibility criteria listed above.
- Request acceptance into the Yellow Ribbon Program by completing our Yellow Ribbon Application.