If you have not received your VA educational benefits within the past five (5) years, you will be required to complete different paperwork. If you received the Montgomery GI Bill® or Post 9/11, you must complete the VA Form 22-1995. If you received dependent benefits, you must complete the VA Form 22-5495. If you used your benefits at another school, then you must go to our Getting Started page for instructions on using your VA educational benefits at Western Kentucky University.

The Veteran Certification Request Form is the form in which you submit a request for enrollment certification from the Veterans Affairs office to DVA. It outlines the courses you are currently enrolled or pre-registered for. The VA office uses this form to comply with DVA rules and regulations to certify that your coursework meets degree requirements for graduation. You MUST complete this form every semester that you want to use your VA educational benefits.

If course changes are made that differ from your original Certification Request Form, you must submit a CIS (Change in Status) form to request the course(s) you added to be considered for your enrollment certification. 

If you plan to take courses at another school (visiting school) while you are working toward your degree at Western Kentucky University (home school), then you will need to notify our office of the course(s) you are taking at the visiting school.  If you are taking those courses at the same time you are taking courses at WKU, there is a space at the bottom of the Veteran Certification Request Form where you can enter those courses and the school at which you are taking them. If you are not taking courses at WKU at the same time you are taking courses at another school, then you need to complete the Visiting Student Request Form.

Students must be prepared to pay for tuition and fees up front. It normally takes about 8 weeks following the initial application process for VA educational benefits before the first payment check can be expected. DVA works on a reimbursal basis. This means you are paid a monthly entitlement rate the month following your training. Out of that entitlement you are expected to pay all schooling costs.Students utilizing Post 9/11 GI Bill® MUST submit a copy of their Certificate of Eligibility (COE) to the VA Office at WKU. Once tuition is received from DVA, those funds will be posted to your student account, and you are responsible for any additional charges.

DVA pays for schooling through the monthly entitlement. As part of federal law, DVA has contracted to pay you a monthly benefit amount. This amount is the same nationwide and is the same for all similarly entitled veterans. Out of this monthly entitlement, you are expected to pay for all schooling costs, which can include tuition, fees, books, supplies and general living expenses. **Chapter 33 (Post 9/11) students will have percentage of their tuition and fees paid by the Department of Veterans Affairs directly to Western Kentucky University after being certified to VA.

You can view the rates for each chapter of the VA Educational Benefits at the website of the Department of Veterans Affairs 

You are not authorized the full monthly entitlement rate. DVA authorizes you to be reimbursed for the full amount of your tuition and fees only up to the amount you would be authorized at the monthly entitlement rate. Tuition and fees does not include books or supplies.

VA Educational Benefits are an earned entitlement to be used for pursuit of an educational goal. The Code of Federal Regulations is very specific regarding proper degree pursuit, and benefits will be paid only for courses that count for graduation credit in an approved degree program or that are university requirements to complete a deficiency.

Non-attendance or excessive, non-excused absences from a course(s) that result in a failing grade are reported to DVA as punitive grades. The money received for those hours must be repaid. DVA will not pay for you to not attend class.

You will need to complete the application packet that can be obtained from the campus in which your degree program is offered.

Please refer to the payment information page.

Study abroad courses may be certifiable to the DVA. The VA Certifying Official, upon receipt of the certification request form, will review these courses. If a study abroad course does not reflect as a requirement for graduation, then it will not be certifiable to the DVA. If the student is in a placeholder class until the course transfers in from the study abroad program then the course will have to be retroactively certified. If this is the case, the student will be responsible for all study abroad charges up front; then once the course is certified, the student will receive a back pay for money owed for the course.In order to certify a course, the VA Certifying Official will need an itemized billing statement, updated degree plan showing course as required, and any additional documents needed. It is the student’s responsibility to provide all needed documentation as well as work with the VA Certifying Official to determine if a course is certifiable to the DVA. The DVA will only pay up to the full time in-state tuition amount. Program fees will only be covered by DVA if an actual study abroad course is listed on the student’s degree program as required for graduation. All other charges will be the student’s responsibility.

Western Kentucky University does not offer advanced pay.

Chapter 33 Overpayment: If the student's training time drops from what was originally reported to the Department of Veterans Affairs by the School Certifying Official, then the student could obtain an overpayment from the DVA. This overpayment could include tuition, fees, and or basic housing allowance.Chapter 35: If the student's training time drops from what was originally reported to the Department of Veterans Affairs by the School Certifying Official, then the student could obtain an overpayment from the DVA. This overpayment would include reimbursement of overpaying the students basic housing allowance.Chapter 30/1606: If the student's training time drops from what was originally reported to the Department of Veterans Affairs by the School Certifying Official, then the student could obtain an overpayment from the DVA. This overpayment would include reimbursement of overpaying the students basic housing allowance.Chapter 31: If the student's training time drops from what was originally reported to the Department of Veterans Affairs by the School Certifying Official, then the student could obtain an overpayment from the DVA. This overpayment would include reimbursement of overpaying the students basic housing allowance.

Yellow Ribbon Program (Although Western Kentucky University is currently a Yellow Ribbon participating school, WKU only charges the in-state rate of tuition for all students using VA educational benefits. Therefore, no Yellow Ribbon is required). 

The following information pertains to certifiable On Demand coursework:

1. Students should first check with the WKU VA Office to ensure the course(s) will be certifiable.

2. Once the student has verification that the On Demand course(s) will be certifiable, they will need to contact the On Demand Office to register for the course.

3. Student must pay for the On Demand course online for VA invoicing purposes. If you are unable to pay out of pocket for the On Demand course, you may consider using federal financial aid. If you are not planning on using federal financial aid and are going to pay for the class online, please follow the registration process below:

Please note: Credit Card payment is required to process your online registration request.

1. Log in to TopNet with your WKU ID# and PIN.

2. Select Registration from the Student Services tab.

3. Select Register for WKU On Demand. 

4. Follow the on screen directions provided to make your registration request.

5. If the student is only taking On Demand courses, please submit the Certification Request Form once the course(s) are COMPLETED. This will allow our office to submit the required information to VA to initiate payment for the course.

If the student has already submitted their Certification Request Form to our office prior to registering for the On Demand course, they will need to complete a Change in Status form to add the course to their original Certification Request Form

5. To ensure timely submission to VA, please contact the WKU VA Office once the On Demand course is COMPLETED.
   

6. BAH is calculated through the Department of Veterans Affairs and is based on the weeks of enrollment vs credit hours of course. This process is similar to our Summer Training Time.