Military Education Benefits

The federal and state governments have a variety of education benefits for veterans, military-related students and families. In addition, there are outside foundations that may assist military students and their families. We encourage you to review these opportunities and apply for those that may be appropriate for your situation. All first time applicants and returning students should complete the SRU VA Enrollment form every semester they wish to use their benefits. (More information available under the "Apply for GI Bill® " tab below.) In addition, many families may also qualify for federal financial aid so we encourage you to complete the FAFSA as well.

GI BILL® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government Web site at http://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill.

Types of Military Education Benefits

There are various types of military education benefits available to students or their eligible dependents.

Post 9/11 GI Bill® for Veterans

This funding is through the Department of Veterans Affairs. The program is available for students who served active duty in the military after 9/11. Parents or spouses may also transfer their benefits to their dependents. More information is available in the "Apply for GI Bill® " tab below.

Montgomery GI Bill® Selected Reserve (MGIB-SR) for National Guard Members and Reservists

This funding is through the Department of Veterans Affairs. If you are a member of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps or Coast Guard Reserve; Army National Guard; or Air National Guard, you may be elgible for this benefit. Find more information here.

Veterans Vocational Rehabilitation

This program is through the Department of Veterans Affairs. It is available for students with a service-connected disability. Students interested in this program should contact the Pittsburgh Regional Office at 412.395.6070 or visit the office at 1000 Liberty Ave, Pittsburgh PA.

Educational Assistance Program for National Guard Members

This is a state-funded program that awards an education grant to qualifying National Guard members. Paperwork is initiated through PHEAA, and should be submitted at least 2-3 months prior to the term. When eligibility is determined, the student receives an award letter indicating the amount of tuition payment; payment is made directly to the student's account. Additional details can be found on the PHEAA website.

Pennsylvania National Guard Military Family Education Program (MFEP)

This is a state-funded program that awards an education grant to qualifying spouse or child of a Pennsylvania National Guard member. Paperwork is initiated through PHEAA, and should be submitted at least 2-3 months prior to the term. When eligibility is determined, the student receives an award letter indicating the amount of tuition payment; payment is made directly to the student's account. Additional details can be found on the PHEAA website

Tuition Assistance for Reservists

This is a federal tuition payment program that pays up to 100% of tuition. Paperwork is initiated through the Reserve unit; payment is made directly to your student account. Students who receive an additional tuition waiver (e.g. staff waiver or graduate assistant waiver) may not be eligible for TA payment. Military service members apply for this benefit directly through the military. Some military branches restrict those who are eligible. For more information, please contact your unit.

Post 9/11 GI Bill® Transfer of Entitlement

Military parents and spouses may be able to transfer their own Post 9/11 GI Bill® to their children or spouses. Further information is available through the Department of Defense website. After reading the information, if you are unsure of whether or not the service person is eligible for transferring benefits, you can also contact the Department of Veterans Affairs at 1.888.GIBILL1 for further guidance.

Survivors and Dependents Educational Benefits

Survivors of deceased veterans, spouses of living veterans and children of either who are between 18 and 26 years of age may be eligible if the veteran's death or permanent/total disability was the result of service in the Armed Forces. Eligibility of spouses generally extends to 10 years from the date of death or establishment of total disability. In certain cases, the age limit for children may be extended.

Students must apply through the Department of Veterans Affairs. You will be required to submit an original application, and must supply the name, social security number, date of birth, and claim or service number of the veteran. If you have already established eligibility for Chapter 35, you must supply your claim number and/or a copy of your Certificate of Eligibility to the Office of Veterans Benefits along with the SRU VA Enrollment Form that is found in the "Apply for GI Bill® " tab below.

Fry Scholarship

This program is for children of service members who died in the line of duty after September 10, 2001. Students must apply through the Department of Veterans Affairs. This program enables students to receive the same benefits as the Post 9/11 GI Bill® . Further information can be found on VA Website.

Postsecondary Educational Gratuity Program

This program honors individuals who lost their lives protecting the citizens of Pennsylvania by helping their children fund their education.

The Postsecondary Educational Gratuity Program provides a waiver for tuition, fees, and on-campus room and board costs charged by public postsecondary institutions. This waiver applies only to charges that remain after all other grants (federal, state, and outside scholarships) have been applied to your student account. For further information, including the application, visit the PHEAA website.

Educational Gratuity Program

The applicant must be the child of a veteran whose 100% disability is war or armed conflict service-connected, or who died while on active duty or as a result of service-connected disability, hostile fire, or a terrorist attack during peacetime, as determined the Dept. of Military Affairs. An applicant must be between the ages of 16 and 24, a resident of Pennsylvania for 5 years immediately prior to filing for the benefit, attend an approved PA state institution and demonstrate financial need. Contact the PA Dept. of Military Affairs, Ft. Indiantown Gap, at 717.861.8910.

Scholarship Listings for Military Spouses and Children

http://www.bestcolleges.com/financial-aid/scholarships-for-military-dependents/

Apply for GI Bill®

Applications and appropriate documentation should be completed at least 8-12 weeks prior to your term starting date to ensure timely processing. Carefully review the different GI Bill® options by reading the information presented on the GI Bill® website.

To apply for VA military education benefits for the first time, all applicants must apply at www.va.gov. For more detailed instructions, please see the checklists below for commonly used programs:

All students using military education benefits must submit the SRU VA Enrollment Form EVERY semester. When submitting the enrollment form for your first semester, please attach a copy of the confirmation page from your online application.

Most GI Bill® payments are sent directly to the student electronically or by check, not the university. Students using Chapter 30, Chapter 1606 and Chapter 33 benefits must verify their enrollment on the last day of each month enrolled before the next payment is issued. You can verify your enrollment in the following ways:

For Chapter 30 and Chapter 1606:

Phone in your enrollment information to the Interactive Voice Response line at 1.877.823.2378, or
Submit your information via the WAVE Application on the GI Bill® website

For Chapter 33:

Opt in to text verification with the text from the VA
Opt in to email verification with the email from the VA
Call 1-888-442-4551 to verify via a VA representative

If you are returning to SRU after a break in enrollment, or transferring GI Bill® benefits to SRU, you must complete both an SRU VA Enrollment form and a Change of Program form. (If you are a Chapter 35 recipient of Survivors and Dependents Education Benefits, you must instead complete a Dependent Change of Program form.)

After the VA has determined your eligibility, you should send a copy of the eligibility letter to the Office of Veterans Benefits. The VA will not send the school this information, and SRU will need this letter. Chapter 33 entitles you to some/all of tuition depending on your eligibility. SRU cannot defer your tuition or partial tuition from the VA until we have a copy of your eligibility letter from the VA. After your submission of the SRU VA Enrollment form, SRU will report your enrollment to the VA each semester when you are registered and when bills are ready for Post 9/11 GI Bill® students. Students should submit their SRU VA Enrollment form every semester they wish to use their education benefits.

Military Scholarships

This listing of external scholarships is made available as a service to our students and includes scholarship information that has been sent to the Financial Aid Office from outside organizations and agencies. This listing is not intended to be an endorsement of any of the scholarship opportunities.

Military.com Scholarship Finder

Military.com has a great scholarship finder for veterans. It allows you to broaden your search for military scholarships. If you would like to use this source please visit Military Scholarship Finder.

Recycling Research Foundation

Criteria: Applicants must be a US citizen, have served a minimum 2 years of active duty or 4 years reserve in a branch of the US military and have been honorably discharged. The applicant must be a full-time student and must be in a non-graduate level program.

Amount: $8,000 ($2,000 per year for four years)

Contact: For more information please contact the Financial Aid office.

Swing for the Troops

The Swing for the Troops Scholarship Program is designed to help veteran families who are currently struggling with the cost of secondary education.

Contact: https://swingforthetroops.com/scholarship-program/

SCHOLARSHIPS FOR MILITARY AND VETERANS

Affordablecolleges.com has a valuable resource page for scholarships and financial aid.

GI Bill® Duties and Responsibilities

Responsibilities

Notify the School Certifying Official of your intended enrollment each semester and summer/winter by submitting the SRU VA Enrollment Form. Links to the enrollment form are emailed to students prior to each registration period.
Notify the School Certifying Official of any change in course load (drop, add, withdrawal) within one week of the change. This will help eliminate or reduce potential overpayment of benefits.
Notify the School Certifying Official of your current campus address and phone number and any change of address.
Notify the School Certifying Official of any change in major.

If your Reserve or National Guard unit is activated and you must leave the university for a period of time, use the following procedures:

Notify the Office of Academic Services (724.738.2012) and the Office of Veterans Benefits (724.738.2702) of your last date of attendance. You must also provide a copy of your federal activation orders. These offices will notify your professors.
If you withdraw due to activation during the semester, financial aid will be returned, you will be withdrawn with "M" grades, and you will not be charged for tuition/fees for the term, although you will incur room and board charges if applicable. If you received GI Bill® benefits, you may be permitted to keep funds received. Entitlement for those months will not be counted. Your 10-year delimiting date may be extended for the number of months you were activated.

Termination of Benefits

Class Attendance

The School Certifying Official will monitor class attendance via your professors. Students who do not attend on a regular basis, stop attending, or withdraw (officially or unofficially) will be reported to the Buffalo Regional Processor. Such notification may include a last date of attendance for each class, and may result in adjustment or termination of your GI Bill eligibility. You should have drop/withdrawal cards signed by the School Certifying Official to minimize GI Bill® overpayment.

Academic Probation/Suspension and GI Bill® Eligibility

A student who is placed on academic probation (or probation combined with academic suspension) for two consecutive terms of attendance at SRU, will have his/her GI Bill® benefits terminated. In addition:

Affected students will be notified that their benefits have been terminated.
If the student re-enrolls or continues enrollment for subsequent terms, the student will be certified for the subsequent term(s) PROVIDED the student completes the appropriate VA forms (available in the Office of Veterans Benefits, 108 North Hall).
Termination of benefits is NOT limited to one time at SRU. Benefits will be terminated if the recipient re-enrolls and is subsequently placed on probation/suspension during two semesters of enrollment.

Academic Suspension

A student who is placed on academic suspension will immediately have his/her GI Bill® benefits terminated.

Education Benefits Overpayments

An overpayment may result if you receive a grade of I, X, WP, NC, or AU, which are not used in computing requirements for your degree program/graduation, or if you repeat a course in which you previously received a passing grade, unless a higher grade in that course is required for graduation.

Additional causes for overpayments:

You stop attending classes.
You withdraw from school.
Information is received from professors which indicates you stopped attending or have not attended class.

Avoiding Education Overpayments

To avoid overpayment of benefits, veterans and dependents must immediately report to the School Certifying Official any change in credit hours, drop/add, withdrawal or termination of attendance.

All overpayments must be repaid to the DVA.
Failure to repay an overpayment will result in adverse credit and debt collection may be turned over to a collection agency or the IRS.
Contact the School Certifying Official before you cash your next check if you suspect a change in credit load or termination of attendance, as these circumstances could result in an overpayment.
Obtain the signature of the School Certifying Official on any drop card or withdrawal form.

Mitigating circumstances

If you change credit load or withdraw from the University after the drop/add period, you will be asked to provide a statement explaining the events that caused the change in enrollment. Mitigating circumstances are unanticipated and unavoidable "events" that interfere with your pursuit of a course. Withdrawal to avoid a failing grade, dislike of the instructor, or attempting too many courses are not considered mitigating circumstances.

If you do not provide a statement, or mitigating circumstances are not acceptable, the VA may reduce or terminate your benefits effective the beginning of the term, rather than your actual last date of attendance.

Other Programs for Military Related Students

Tutorial Assistance

If a student is having difficulty with coursework, SRU does provide free tutors through the Tutorial Center in Bailey Library. If a tutor is not offered for your course tutorial assistance is available if the student is receiving VA educational assistance, attending at least half-time and has a deficiency in a subject making tutoring necessary. Discuss your situation with the Director of the Tutorial Center since free tutoring must be used first.

VA Work Study

The VA Work Study program permits eligible Chapter 30, 33, 1606 or 35 students to perform VA-related services in return for payment based on the higher of the Federal or State minimum wage. An eligible person may work up to 25 hours times the number of weeks in the enrollment periods, and must have remaining entitlement under one of the above GI Bill® programs. Students may work at a school VA office, VA regional office or medical facility, or approved State employment office.

Work study sites include:

VA Medical Center, Butler, PA Ph: 724.287.4781
Butler County Veterans Affairs Ph: 724.284.5353
Mercer County Veterans Affairs Ph: 724.662.3800
Also contact the Department of Veterans Affairs at 1.888.442.4551

Student Loan Repayment

The federal government has special programs available for military-related students in regards to interest and repayment. A special guide is available that lists the variety of programs online at Federal Student Aid.

The branches of the military also offer Student Loan Repayment. Students who are eligible for this program should check with their unit regarding how to activate the program.

Financial Aid

Military Education Benefits

Financial Aid

Contact Information