Veterans Affairs Programs

The Department of Veterans Affairs administers programs for veterans seeking assistance for education and training and Cornell College participates in the following programs:

• Montgomery GI Bill^® - Active Duty (Chapter 30)
• Montgomery GI Bill^® - Selected Reserve (Chapter 1606)
• Post-9/11 GI Bill^® (Chapter 33)
• Post-9/11 GI Bill^® Yellow Ribbon Program (Chapter 33)
• Survivors and Dependents Educational Assistance Program (Chapter 35)
• Reserve Educational Assistance Program (Chapter 1607)
• Vocational Rehabilitation - Veterans with Disabilities (Chapter 31)

Within these programs, the VA has seven different chapters so the student needs to know from which chapter they receive funds.  

• The file number for Chapter 35 is the donor's social security number.
• The file number for Chapter 33 is the recipient's (student's) social security number.
• The file number for all other chapters is the student's social security number.

Applying for educational benefits

 If you are a veteran, or dependent of a veteran, and plan to receive educational benefits as determined by the Department of Veterans Affairs, please initiate the approval process with the VA (steps 1-4 below) and contact Cornell's VA Certifying Official to let us know you are expecting VA benefits. Our certifying official is the Director of Financial Assistance, who can be reached at 319.895.4216 or financial_assistance@cornellcollege.edu

1. Visit the GI Bill® website to apply online and learn more about education benefit descriptions and payment rates. If you have already applied and would like to know the status of your application, please call 1-888-GI-BILL-1 and speak with a Veterans Benefits Counselor.
2. Once you have been approved, you will be sent a Certificate of Eligibility (COE) letter from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). This will provide you with the chapter of benefits for which you are eligible, and the rate of pay you will receive. You will need to provide a copy of this letter to the VA Certifying Official at Cornell College.
3. If you are a current service member who would like to Transfer Chapter 33 benefits to a dependent, please review the information at Post-9/11 GI Bill®: transferability.
4. All military personnel contact your Education Service Office (ESO), military counselor, or service prior to enrollment.
5. The VA Certifying Official will submit an online form certifying that you are a student at Cornell, reporting the number of credits you are registered for. You must notify the VA Certifying Official if you change your enrollment or drop courses.
6. Benefits usually begin six to eight weeks after initial certification.
   

    

Title 38 3679(e) Compliance

Section 103 of Public Law (PL) 115-407, ‘Veterans Benefits and Transition Act of 2018,’ amends Title 38 US Code 3679 by adding a new subsection (e) that requires disapproval of courses of education, beginning August 1, 2019, at any educational institution that does not have a policy in place that will allow an individual to attend or participate in a course of education, pending VA payment, providing the individual submits a certificate of eligibility for entitlement to educational assistance under Chapter 31 or 33.

Pending Payment Compliance

In accordance with Title 38 US Code 3679(e), Cornell College adopts the following additional provisions for any students using U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Post-9/11 G.I. Bill^® (Ch. 33) or Vocational Rehabilitation & Employment (Ch. 31) benefits, while payment to the institution is pending from VA.  Cornell College will not:

• Prevent the student’s enrollment;
• Assess a late penalty fee to the student;
• Require the student to secure alternative or additional funding;
• Deny the student access to any resources (access to classes, libraries, or other institutional facilities) available to other students who have satisfied their tuition and fee bills to the institution.

However, to qualify for this provision, such students may be required to:

• Produce the VA Certificate of Eligibility (COE) by the first day of class;
• Provide a written request to be certified;
• Provide additional information needed to properly certify the enrollment as described in other institutional policies

GI Bill^® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). 

Maintaining your benefit status with the VA

Once you begin to receive benefits, you will need to confirm your enrollment with the VA each month. This normally requires a phone call to the Education Call Center at 888.442.4551 or 800.827.1000

Maintaining your benefits status with Cornell

As a VA student, you are responsible for notifying the VA Certifying Official of your enrollment plans each semester at Cornell. You also have the responsibility to notify the VA Certifying Official of any changes in your enrolled credit hours once the semester begins. Failure to notify the official may result in incorrect payment for which you or the veteran family member will be held liable.

VA benefits are also contingent on Cornell’s Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy.
If you are contemplating repeating a course, withdrawing from Cornell, dropping a class, or electing to take a delayed grade or interrupting class attendance, you should check carefully with the Registrar and Financial Assistance Office to be sure it will not negatively impact your benefits.

Questions? Please reach out to the Office of Financial Assistance in Old Sem or financial_assistance@cornellcollege.edu.