Military Education Benefits

The Post-9/11 G.I. Bill® (Chapter 33) provides education benefits for service members and veterans who served on active duty for at least 90 days after September 11, 2001, or were honorably discharged after 30 continuous days with a service-connected disability. Benefits include payment for net tuition and mandatory fees, a monthly housing allowance, and a stipend for books and supplies. Benefits can be transferred to eligible dependents, and the Yellow Ribbon Program may help cover additional costs depending on your eligibility and degree program.

You may qualify for Chapter 33 if you meet one of these requirements:

• Served on active duty for at least 90 days on or after September 11, 2001.
• Were honorably discharged with a service-connected disability after serving 30 continuous days on or after September 11, 2001.

Benefit Components

• Tuition & Fees: The VA pays for the net tuition and mandatory fees for approved programs.
• Monthly Housing Allowance (MHA): You receive a monthly payment directly to you to help with housing costs.
• Stipend for Books and Supplies: You receive a monthly stipend, prorated based on your enrollment.
• You must complete a FAFSFA each year in order to use the Yellow Ribbon funds. Keep in mind that only CH 33 students who have CH 33 at the 100% benefit level are eligible to receive Yellow Ribbon funds.

1. Once all paperwork has been submitted to Military Services, students’ names are submitted to Student Accounts so that payments from the VA are expected on their behalf (CH 33 ONLY).
2. Office of Military Services will report the number of hours and base tuition prior to the start of the semester to initiate book and monthly housing allowance payments from the VA (CH 33 ONLY).
   • After the last day to add a class, additional fees associated with classes will be reported to the VA, as well as an adjustment in hours (if applicable).
3. Payments are distributed as such:
   • Tuition is paid directly to the school.
   • Book allowance is directly deposited into the bank account provided during the application process approximately two weeks before the semester starts, provided paperwork is submitted reasonably (CH 33 ONLY).
   • Monthly housing allowances are also directly deposited into the bank account provided during the application process. MHA is paid at the end of every month during the school semester. For example, the monthly housing for August will be directly deposited on August 31^stor September 1^st. Monthly housing deposits will work the same way each month for both CH 33 and CH 35.

Also, MHAs are prorated for the first and last month of each semester (August, December, January and May). This is because students are not paid for days that are not included in the semester.

A special provision of the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill® program allows career Service members the option of sharing their education benefits with immediate family members. If service members are eligible for the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill® program, they can use the Transfer of Education Benefits (TEB) page in milConnect to request a transfer of their DoD educational benefits.

• Service members can transfer up to 36 months of unused education benefits to their eligible dependents.
• If service members have already used some of their benefits, they can transfer what they have not used.
• Service members can initiate a transfer of education benefit months to their dependents (the student) while they are on Active Duty. After a service member separates or retires, they can only reallocate those months that were transferred while on Active Duty unless a dependent to whom the service member allocated benefits passes away and they have other eligible dependents.
  • If you are a dependent of a veteran or active duty service member using Post 9/11 G.I. Bill® (CH 33) for the first time, submit the online application (22-1990E) and select ‘start your application without signing in’.After this is complete, the VA will send a Certificate of Eligibility by mail.
  • It will take the VA approximately 30 days to mail the Certificate of Eligibility. Once received, you may submit the form(s) to the Office of Military Services via scanning and e-mailing (pictures are not accepted), to military@csuniv.edu.
  • If you are admitted to a program at Charleston Southern University and you are ready to enroll, you will need to complete and submit the Benefits Authorization Form.You will need to submit a form every term you wish to use your benefits. The Office of Military Services will send a reminder to all students when the time comes.

1. Military Services will report the number of hours and base tuition prior to the start of the semester to initiate monthly housing allowance payments from the VA.
2. Payments are distributed as such:
   • Monthly housing allowances are also directly deposited into the bank account provided during the application process. MHA is paid at the end of every month during the school semester. For example, the monthly housing for August will be directly deposited on August 31st or September 1st.

Also, MHAs are prorated for the first and last month of each semester (August, December, January and May). This is because students are not paid for days that are not included in the semester.

VA Chapter 35, also known as the Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational Assistance (DEA) program, provides education and training opportunities to eligible dependents of certain veterans or service members. It is paid as a monthly allowance directly to the student to help cover educational costs. In South Carolina, some state schools waive tuition and fees for eligible dependents using CH 35 benefits. Charleston Southern University is a private university and we do not waive tuition and fees, but we will certify enrollment for CH 35 beneficiaries so that they can receive their monthly stipend.

Eligibility

To qualify for CH 35, you must be the spouse or dependent child of a service member who meets specific criteria:

• Disabled Veteran: The veteran is permanently and totally disabled due to a service-connected disability.
• Deceased Veteran: The veteran died while on active duty or as a result of a service-connected disability.
• MIA or Detained: The service member is missing in action (MIA), was captured by a hostile force, or was forcibly detained by a foreign government.
• Hospitalized: The service member is hospitalized or receiving outpatient care for a service-connected permanent and total disability and is likely to be discharged for that reason.

Benefit details

• Duration: Dependents generally receive up to 36 months of full-time benefits. Some people who became eligible before August 1, 2018, may be entitled to up to 45 months.
• Payments: As of August 1, 2025, the full-time monthly payment for institutional training is $1,574.
• Children’s eligibility: Dependent children can typically use the benefits between the ages of 18 and 26.
• Spouses’ eligibility: A spouse’s eligibility may be limited based on when the disability rating was assigned or when the veteran died.
• Payment limitations: The monthly payments help cover costs, but unlike some other GI Bill chapters, they do not automatically pay for tuition directly to the school.
• Comparing benefits: If you qualify for both CH 35 and the Fry Scholarship (another benefit for children and spouses of service members who died in the line of duty), you must choose which one to use for a given period of training.

The Marine Gunnery Sergeant John David Fry Scholarship (Fry Scholarship) provides Post-9/11 G.I. Bill® benefits to the children and surviving spouses of service members who died in the line of duty while on active duty after September 10, 2001.

1. If you are a dependent (child or spouse) of a service member who died in the line of duty on or after September 11, 2001, using the CH 33 SGT Fry Scholarship  for the first time, submit the online application (22-5490) and select ‘start your application without signing in’. Click to start your application. After this is complete, the VA will send a Certificate of Eligibility by mail.
2. It will take the VA approximately 30 days to mail the Certificate of Eligibility. Once received, you may submit the form(s) to the Office of Military Services via scanning and e-mailing (pictures are not accepted), to military@csuniv.edu.
3. If you are admitted to a program at Charleston Southern University and you are ready to enroll, you will need to complete and submit the Benefits Authorization Form. You will need to submit a form every term you wish to use your benefits.The Office of Military Services will send a reminder to all students when the time comes.

The VA’s Veteran Readiness and Employment Services program provides workforce-related assistance to veterans with service-connected disabilities, as well as vocational counseling to active duty service members and veterans who have recently separated from active duty. Information about vocational counseling and special rehabilitation services is also available to dependents of veterans who meet certain program eligibility requirements.

1. You can apply for vocational rehabilitation and employment benefit online here.
2. If you are currently receiving any of these benefits, you cannot use VONAPP to reapply. Instead, contact the VA Regional Office which handles your benefit by calling 1-800-827-1000.
3. Alternatively, you may apply for vocational rehabilitation and employment benefit by mail using VA Form 28-1900. Once complete, submit the VA Form 28-1900 to The Department of Veterans Affairs, Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E) Intake Center, P.O. Box 5210, Janesville, WI 53547-5210.
4. Mail completed form to your local VR&E Regional Offices using this link to find that address.
5. Once received at the VA office with jurisdiction over your application you will receive a response from the VA office letting you know the status of your application.
6. After you have been approved for the program, they will explain how the process works with the schools and notify us of your approval.
7. CSU will in turn supply VR&E your school enrollment certification and invoice them for your tuition and fees. Complete and return the Benefits Authorization Form.
8. Slingshot (formerly the Tree of Life) is the company that CSU uses for obtaining books. The tuition and fees that are charged to your account include your books (excludes Accelerated BSN, Master of Education, MS in Nursing, Doctor of Education and Doctor of Physical Therapy). Slingshot FAQs: Please read – It will answer most any question you have pertaining to books.
9. If there are any bookstore charges on your account, Mrs. Terri Coffelt (tcoffelt@csuniv.edu)  needs a copy of the receipt. You will need to log onto your MyCSU and click on the Campus Bookstore (Slingshot) link to print out receipts.
10. Your monthly stipend is paid in arrears, so you will not see your first stipend until the end of May or beginning of June for classes starting on May 9^th. Keep in mind that stipends are prorated for months when you are not attending the entire month (like May).
11. If you have not set up your direct deposit with the VA or need to make changes, please select this link, and follow the instructions.
12. Make sure you complete your FAFSA if you have not already done so. If you are missing documents, verifications, etc., these must be done to receive all your eligible aid.
13. Please make sure you complete your FERPA question and answer. You will need those when you ask questions about your account. If you want to allow someone else to ask questions on your behalf, they must also know your FERPA question and answer. You can complete your FERPA info here.
14. If you have not obtained your parking pass, it can be obtained by going online here. Please follow the directions carefully. If you qualify for a free student permit (VR&E students) you will not be presented a “Pick Your Payment” page. You will proceed to the “Review Your Order” page, where it will display a payment method of “No Charge.”
15. Student IDs are issued in the security office in the Russell West Residence Hall.
16. A $75 will show up on most commuter’s student account for Dining Dollars. This is added each semester for use in the campus dining facilities. If you do not use it, it will be refunded to your account at the end of the spring semester. This does not apply to graduate students.

1. If you are a service member using Selected Reserve (CH 1606) for the first time, submit the online application (22-1990) via this link.
2. Once you complete the VA application and select submit button you will come to a CONFIRMATION PAGE. Please print this page and return to military@csuniv.edu.
3. To receive your GI Bill® monthly stipend after you receive your VA Certificate of Eligibility call and verify your monthly attendance the last day of each month. The number to call is 1-877-823-2378 and your SSN is the file/claim number.
4. In order to start the National Guard Tuition Program you must create a ArmyIgnitED account here.
5. Select ‘Get Started’ in the upper right-hand corner.

 

Below are the instructions that should guide you through the ArmyIgnitED process:

• Create a Student User Account
• Create Education Paths and Tuition Assistance Requests
• Navigate Student Dashboard
• Withdrawals and Recoupments

Any amount above that rate is the student responsibility as well as classroom fees, online fees, meal plans, resident hall, etc.

You must apply for FAFSA funding each academic year to be eligible for this program and applications are found here.

Please note that only deployed or over the age of 26 students are considered VETERANS for FAFSA

If you do not meet the above criteria mark NO for those Veterans questions on your FAFSA application

The Montgomery GI Bill Active Duty (MGIB-AD) can help you pay for education and training programs. If you’ve served at least 2 years on active duty, find out if you qualify for the MGIB-AD program.

How does VA determine how much money I’ll receive?
The amount you’ll receive depends on these factors:

• Your length of service, and
• The type of education or training program you choose, and
• Your category (as defined above), and
• Whether you qualify for a college fund or kicker, and
• How much you’ve paid into the $600 Buy-Up program
  Learn more about the $600 Buy-Up program

 

Note: You usually have 10 years to use your MGIB-AD benefits. This may change depending on your situation.

1. If you are a service member using MGIB-AD for the first time, submit the online application (22-1990) here.
2. Once you complete the VA application and select submit button you will come to a CONFIRMATION PAGE. Please print this page and return to military@csuniv.edu.

To receive your GI Bill® monthly stipend after you receive your VA Certificate of Eligibility call and verify your monthly attendance the last day of each month. The number to call is 1-877-823-2378 and your SSN is the file/claim number.