Veterans Educational Benefits

CSM is approved by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Maryland Higher Education Commission, so that eligible veterans, servicepersons, and certain dependents of veterans can receive VA educational benefits. Eligible persons may receive benefits under one of several types of G.I. Bill:

	Chapter 30 - Montgomery G.I. Bill
	Chapter 31 - Disabled Veterans Vocational Rehabilitation Program.
	Chapter 32 - Veterans Educational Assistance Program (VEAP)
	Chapter 35 - Dependents Educational Assistance Program
	Chapter 1606 - Montgomery G.I Bill/Selected Reserve Educational Assistance Program.
	Chapter 1607 - Reserve Educational Assistance Program (REAP)

The Registrar’s Office is not the Veterans Administration. We do not determine your eligibility for veterans benefits. We do, however, provide you with the appropriate paperwork to apply to the VA for benefits. We are responsible for certifying your enrollment status to the VA, which is what gets you paid.

The VA will not pay for continuing education courses, audited courses or courses that do not count toward your program of study at CSM. Please see our list of approved programs of study.

IF YOU ARE USING YOUR VETERANS BENEFITS FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER, OR FOR THE FIRST TIME AT CSM:

You need to complete other VA paperwork in addition to the Online Veterans Educational Benefits Request Form . Follow our Guide to Veterans' Educational Benefits or contact your school certifying official. We will ask you some questions about the dates of your military service, and from that information, we will determine what paperwork is needed. You can also visit the VA's web site www.gibill.va.gov and fill out the online applications that are available. Make sure that both the VA and CSM receives a copy of your paperwork.

Types of records you may need are Form DD 214, Report of Separation or Discharge, and if you are a Reservist or National Guard member, Form DD 2384, Notice of Basic Eligibility (NOBE). We will advise you what documents are needed for your claim, and forward the whole package to the Veterans Administration.

First-time applicants for veterans benefits and persons transferring their benefits from other schools will have a longer wait for their benefits than continuing students. Once your eligibility is established, however, future semester payments should be much more quickly processed.

Each time you register for a semester for which you wish to receive veterans benefits, you must complete CSM's Veterans Educational Benefits Request. This form can be obtained from the Registrar’s Office on the La Plata Campus or at the main office at any of our campuses in Charles, Calvert, or St. Mary's counties. The form must be hand carried or sent directly to the Registrar’s Office. Without it, we will not be able to certify you for benefits for that semester.

IF YOU ARE A CONTINUING CSM STUDENT RECEIVING VETERANS BENEFITS FOR THE CURRENT SEMESTER:

You need to complete and turn in the CSM's Veterans Educational Benefits Request once you have registered and paid for classes. Once you have mailed or faxed in this form, please check Online Express Services under  Financial Assistance's "My Documents" folder. This folder allows you to view what forms you still need to submit, when your documents were submitted, and when your enrollment was certified to VA.

STUDENT VERIFICATION OF ENROLLMENT

Everyone receiving MGIB-Active Duty Chapter 30 benefits, as well as those in Chapter 1606 and Chapter 1607 , must verify their enrollment each month to receive payment for that month. Your enrollment can be verified on the last calendar day of the month by using the VA’s  Web Automated Verification of Enrollment (WAVE) or by calling 1-877-823-2378. Students must be currently enrolled in an approved educational program and must have a current benefit award to use WAVE.                   

BE SURE TO HAVE ALL OF YOUR PRIOR CREDITS & MILITARY TRAINING EVALUATED AT CSM!

The Department of Veterans Affairs requires all G.I. Bill recipients to have all of their prior education and training, military and civilian, evaluated for possible transfer credit when they first enroll at CSM.  The VA gives you up to two semesters of enrollment to obtain official transcripts from your prior schools or military training. If we do not receive and evaluate your transcripts by the end of your second semester of enrollment with us, the VA will terminate all benefits paid to you and may require that all previously paid benefits be repaid!

Source documents for military education are armed forces official transcripts. You may use the information in the following chart to request a transcript directly from the appropriate branch of service: