Veterans Benefits

Using Veterans Educational Benefits at SUNY Empire State University (SUNY Empire)

Certification Information for Post 9/11 GI Bill® (Chapter 33) or Montgomery GI Bill®(Chapter 30 and Chapter 1606) and Chapter 35 DEA program

Students using veteran educational benefits must complete our online military information form each term, prior to the term’s payment due date: My Military Information Form. Completing this form authorizes SUNY Empire to provide required information and to certify your enrollment at SUNY Empire for the specified semester to the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (VA).

Step-by-Step Fast Facts

Step 1) Connect

• Contact a VA representative or advocate (VA county representative, VFW, American Legion) to determine your eligibility for federal VA benefits or call 800-827-1000.
• For information related specifically to the Post 9/11 GI Bill® or Montgomery GI Bill®, please call the GI Bill® Hotline, 888-442-4551.
• To apply for benefits and/or obtain proof of entitlement to benefits, you can visit VA Education Benefits.

Step 2) Apply

• Establish VA eligibility online at VA Education Benefits.
• The VA will issue you a Certificate of Eligibility (COE) statement by mail, which outlines your percentage of benefits.
• Complete the SUNY Empire State University Application for Admission. Submit proof of high school completion and official transcripts, including military service training.
• Submit the COE to the school certifying officer at SUNY Empire. Fax: 518-580-0105, Email: VCO@sunyempire.edu, or Mail: SUNY Empire State University, Office of the Registrar, 111 West Ave, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866.
• Acceptable proof of entitlement to benefits includes:
  • a copy of the confirmation you receive when you submit your application for benefits (sufficient only for one term of VA enrollment certification, after which you must provide one of the following as proof of entitlement to benefits).
  • a screen shot of your VA eBenefits Education Entitlement information
  • a screen shot of your Vets.gov entitlement information.
  • a copy of your Certificate of Eligibility (COE), which is the approval letter the VA sends after they review your application.
• Students not pursuing a degree (non-matriculated status), but who are interested in taking courses, need to fill out a non-matriculated application. Note: the VA will pay for only two terms for a non-matriculated student.

Step 3) Enroll

• Once you are accepted and have completed the orientation process, you will be assigned a primary mentor who will work with you to create a degree plan and assist with course selection each term.
• If using VA funding, the Department of Defense requires an official degree program within the first two terms of study.
• Register for courses online at My.SUNYEmpire.
  
  • Students using veteran educational benefits must complete our online military information form each term, prior to the term’s payment due date: My Military Information Form. Completing this form authorizes SUNY Empire to provide required information and to certify your enrollment at SUNY Empire for the specified semester to the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (VA).
• Order your course materials at the SUNY Empire Bookstore.

Step 4) Tuition and Fees

• Low tuition and most fees are waived.
• Information about financial and other funding options, including the New York State Veterans Tuition Awards, are available at Higher Education Service Corporation, HESC Military Corner, and SUNY Empire Veteran and Military Education.

Step 5) Certificate of Enrollment to the VA

• SUNY Empire school certifying officer will submit VA Form 22-1999 (COE) to the VA once course registration is complete.
  • Please take into consideration that it normally takes 8-10 weeks after we submit your certification for you to receive your first check. If you have questions about what payment you can expect to receive or when payments will be issued, please contact the VA directly at 888-442-4551.

Important Information About Benefits

Statement of Compliance with 38 USC 3679

SUNY Empire will not impose any penalty, including the assessment of late fees, the denial of access to classes, libraries, or other institutional facilities, or the requirement that a covered individual borrow additional funds, on any covered individual because of the individual’s inability to meet his or her financial obligations to the institution due to the delayed disbursement funding from VA under chapter 31 or 33.

NOTE: A Covered Individual is any individual who is entitled to educational assistance under chapter 31, Veteran Readiness & Employment, or chapter 33, Post-9/11 GI Bill® benefits

Certification Information for Chapter 31 Veteran Readiness & Employment

To initiate enrollment certification under the Chapter 31 program, your VA counselor needs to send the required documentation from the Tungsten Network, showing you are approved for the term you are enrolling in. After your enrollment is certified, a copy of the VA enrollment certification is sent to your VA counselor. If you have questions about payment, the best source to contact is your VA counselor.

Housing

If you are using a benefit or participating in a program that includes a monthly housing allowance, it is very important for you to know that the VA requires all SUNY Empire credits to be certified as distance learning, regardless of the mode of study. Even if you are meeting face to face with an instructor, your enrollment will be certified as distance learning. The distance learning housing allowance is only granted for more-than half-time study, meaning you have to be enrolled in at least 7 credits for undergraduate study or at least 5 credits for graduate level study, and is granted on a prorated basis depending on your rate of pursuit and percent of entitlement (if applicable). The distance learning housing allowance works out to roughly half of what the national average Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH, paid for in-residence study) would be. To qualify for BAH, SUNY Empire students must cross register or take a course at with a brick and mortar school for an in-residence study. See the Student Accounts website for more information about cross registration.

If you are enrolling as a guest student at another school and are using VA education benefits or are participating in Chapter 31 VA Veteran Readiness & Employment, you may be asked to provide a VA parent/primary letter to the other school so they can certify your enrollment. Requests for VA parent/primary letters can be sent to VCO@sunyempire.edu. When requesting a letter, please include copies of any cross registration paperwork you completed (if applicable) and a copy of your schedule and billing statement from the other school.

If you are not an SUNY Empire student and would like to be certified as a guest student for SUNY Empire enrollment, please ask your parent/primary school to send a VA parent/primary letter to the School Certifying Officer at VCO@sunyempire.edu to request a guest enrollment certification.

The Johnny Isakson and David P. Roe, M.D. Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act of 2020

The Johnny Isakson and David P. Roe, M.D. Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act of 2020 requires educational institutions to make certain disclosures to students using federal military and/or VA educational benefits. To view and print a copy of an estimated personalized cost of attendance you can visit the SUNY Net Price Cost Calculator  and select Empire State University from the dropdown. Additional financial information can be found at the NCES College Navigator site.

The SUNY Financial Aid Plan (FAP) will provide a more in-depth analysis and accurate picture of student cost once the student has filed their FAFSA, completed a SUNY application, and has been accepted by a campus.

Reporting Enrollment Changes to the VA

SUNY Empire is required to report enrollment changes related to all credits certified to the VA. This includes adding studies, dropping studies, withdrawing from studies, and being academically withdrawn from studies. SUNY Empire is also required to report graduation, academic warning and academic dismissal to the VA for students using VA education benefits. As a veteran who has accepted benefits, you will be directly responsible for any overpayments that you may receive. If you have questions about how an enrollment change is going to impact you financially, please contact SUNY Empire’s Military Student Accounts Coordinator, Kimberly Durant at Kimberly.Durant@sunyempire.edu. If you have questions about when a change in enrollment will be reported to the VA, please email VCO@sunyempire.edu.

Debbi Staulters is SUNY Empire’s School Certifying Officer. If you have any questions about using veterans educational benefits at Empire State University, please contact the Office of the Registrar at VCO@sunyempire.edu.