Veteran Services
Please note: All service members must provide their official Military orders to the Veteran & Military Student Support Center (jsuveterans@smcun.com) and all of your professors.
Attention: Chapters 30, 35, and 1606 do not guarantee automatic registration completion. These funds are paid directly to the student and not the university. You must make payment arrangements with the Business Office or have enough Financial Aid or Student loans to cover the cost of attendance since the benefit pays a monthly stipend directly to the student and not the institution. The Business Office will not defer payment for Chapters 30, 35, and 1606 recipients. Financial services need to know how you intend to complete your registration to prevent being purged for non-payment.
STEPS FOR USING VA EDUCATION BENEFITS:
- Apply to Jackson State University, http://o0gh.smcun.com/apply/
- Apply online for VA education benefits, www.gibill.va.gov or vets.gov
- Or by filling out a paper application at the JSU Veterans & Military Student Support Center and submitting it to the VA School Certifying Official.
VA Form 22-1990: Application for VA Education Benefits/GI Bill®
VA Form 22-1990E: Application for family member to use transferred benefits
VA Form 22-1995: Application for request for change of program or place of training/school
VA Form 22-5490: Application for dependents for VA benefits
VA Form 22-5495: Application for dependents request for change of program or school.
VA Form 28-1900: Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E) Chapter 31; Contact your local VA (VR&E) counselor. Your counselor must submit your authorization paperwork electronically to the university.
The VA determines your eligibility within 6-8 weeks . if you are eligible you will receive a Certificate of Eligibility that must be submitted to the Veteran & Military Student Support Center.
Apply online for admission to JSU, http://o0gh.smcun.com/apply/
• Send all official transcripts (high school and/or college) to the admissions office. Please submit a copy to the Veterans and Military Center.
• Student Veterans must submit a copy of their DD Form 214 to the Veterans & Military Student Support Center.
• Military Transcripts, if submitted to the admissions office or registrar’s office, please submit a copy to the Veterans and Military Center.
To recieve a copy of your Military (Joint Services) transcript, please go to http://jst.doded.mil/smart/signIn.do Please contact the Air Force Community College Registrar’s office to request a copy of your transcript. http://www.airuniversity.af.edu/Portals/10/CCAF/documents/CCAF%20Transcript%20Request.pdf
Apply for Federal Financial Aid, www.fafsa.ed.gov
Students’ Responsibilities each semester
• Meet with your academic advisor to ensure a smooth academic transition.
• Register for Classes
• VA Benefit Certification: After meeting with an academic advisor and registering for classes, you must become certified to receive benefits by meeting with JSU Certifying Official in the Veterans & Military Student Support Center.
Apply for State Education Assistance Program (SEAP) (if eligible).
SEAP is a general scholarship for MSNG SMs attending accredited institutions of higher learning within the State of Mississippi for undergraduate studies and career and technical training. It is offered on a first-come, first-serve basis. http://www.ng.ms.gov/gs/g1/edu/benefits
Remember, you must recertify your VA benefits at the beginning of each semester.
• Report any changes to the VA and JSU Veterans and Military Center to avoid delay of payment, pay reduction, or payback to the VA.
• Submit a VA Registration Form or VA Fact Sheet each semester
• Apply for Federal Tuition Assistance (if eligible); Army Reserves or National Guard: http://www.armyignited.com/app/
• Pay required tuition & fees
*Be advised, that Federal Tuition Assistance (FTA) through ArmyIgnitED pays up to $250.00 per semester hour, not to exceed 16 semester hours per fiscal year. For FY-24, that covers courses with TERM start dates between 1 October 2023 and 30 September 2024. Soldiers may apply for TA up to 60 days prior but must apply for NLT 14 days, before the TERM start date to ensure their applications are processed and approved before the term start date. TARs are processed on a first-come, first-served
Mandatory orientations and registrations each semester:
Once you are admitted or accepted to Jackson State University, attend one of the New Student orientations each semester. These orientations will provide welcome briefs, “how to” information, class registration, academic advisement, placement testing, financial aid and scholarship assistance, student I.D., establishing your student e-mail account and other pertinent business to succeed.
Receiving Benefits:
Here are some important things veteran & military students must know and adhere to in receiving benefits. These policies and procedures will keep you on track throughout your matriculation here at Jackson State University. It is important for you to be in contact with the Veterans Center for each semester in which you want to receive benefits.
Prior to the beginning of each semester, you need to provide a copy of your class schedule to the Veterans and Military Center.
Benefits Eligibility: All service members must have served honorably. The VA has the ultimate authority in determining your eligibility for VA Educational benefits. If you have any questions about your eligibility, please contact a VA counselor at 1-888-442-4551.
Chapter 30: Montgomery GI Bill® Active Duty: Member must have entered active duty for the 1st time on or after July 1, 1985 and had military pay reduced by $100 a month for the first year of service. Member is entitled to receive up to 36 months of education benefits payable for 10 years following release from active duty.
Chapter 31: Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E): Member must have served on or after September 16, 1940 and have a service connected disability rated at least 20% by the VA and need vocational rehabilitation to overcome an employment limitation. For additional information contact your local VA Regional Office.
Chapter 33: Post 9/11 GI Bill®: Provides financial support for education and housing to members with at least 90 days of aggregated service after September 10, 2001 or individuals discharged with a service-connected disability after 30 days. Eligibility percentage is based on the service members length of aggregate active duty service after September 10, 2001. Member may be entitled to the cost of tuition, fees and monthly housing allowance. Veterans are required to submit Certificate of Eligibility and Military (Joint Services) Transcript to the JSU Veterans & Military Center.
Chapter 35: Dependents Educational Assistance: Must be a dependent or survivor of an eligible veteran who died or is permanently and totally disable as a result of a service-connected disability. The age requirement for this benefit is between 18-26 years old.
Chapter 1606: Members who are actively participating in the Selected Reserve components to include the Army National Guard, Air National Guard, Army, Air Force, Navy, Coast Guard and Marine Reserves. They must have a six year obligation to serve and is entitled up to 36 months of benefits. Service members are required to submit a Certificate of Eligibility, Notice Of Basic Eligibility (NOBE), Kicker Contract or Orders, and Military (Joint Services) Transcripts to the Veterans & Military Center.
Fry Scholarship: This scholarship is available to children of service members who died in the line of duty after September 10, 2001.
Kickers & Buy-Ups: These are additional amounts of benefits that are part of the original enlistment contract or part of a re-enlistment contract. Contact your military unit for more details.
Credit for Educational Experience in the Armed Forces:
Jackson State University utilizes the American Council on Education’s “Guide to the Evaluation of Educational Experiences in the Armed Services” for the evaluation of training for military occupational skills. Final acceptance of such military transfer credit is left to the discretion of the major department chair and the dean of the college in which the student is enrolled. The first step to claiming the credits you have earned is to request a transcript from your military service. Each service branch will provide unofficial personal copies and send schools an official copy of your transcript at no charge. Each service branch has their own system for recording your military education and experience credits. The Army uses the AART system. The Navy and Marine Corps use the SMART system. The Air Force automatically captures your training, experience and standardized test scores.
CHANGES TO YOUR ENROLLMENT STATUS:
You must contact the Veterans and Military Center immediately if you make changes to your class schedule. The Center will help you determine if and how the change will impact your benefits for each semester. If you change your schedule you need to bring a revised class schedule that has been signed by our advisor. Failure to do this may result in a reduction in your benefits.
Verify your Enrollment:
Chapter 30 and 1606 recipients are required to contact the VA on the last day of each month to verify enrollment. If you forget to call, your payment will be held until you call the VA. When you are verifying your enrollment, if the number of credits or enrollment status is incorrect, contact the Veterans Center with the correct information. Do not try to correct it through the VA website.
• To verify by phone: 1-877-823-2378
• To verify online: W.A.V.E system http://www.gibill.va.gov/wave/index.do
Dropping Classes or Withdrawing:
If you drop a course or need to withdraw from school after the drop period contact the Veterans Center as soon as possible. The VA may reduce your benefits retroactively to the beginning of the semester unless there are mitigating circumstances. Mitigating circumstances are circumstances beyond your control that prevent you from continuing in school or that cause you to reduce the number of credits you are enrolled in.
Examples of mitigating circumstances include:
• An illness or injury afflicting you during the enrollment period
• An illness or death in your immediate family
• An unavoidable change in your conditions of employment
• Unanticipated active duty service, including training
• Immediate family or financial obligations beyond your control that require you to suspend pursuit of your education to gain employment
Medical and Hardship Withdrawals:
If you need to withdraw completely and complete a Medical or Hardship Withdrawal contact the Health Center, Registrar’s Office and the Division of Student Life. Please inform the Veterans Center to avoid any VA debt.
Military Withdrawal or Called to Active Duty:
If you are called to active duty and need to withdraw while receiving benefits, there are a few offices on campus that you should notify. This will ensure that you do not pay tuition and fees unnecessarily and that you can easily return to school at a later date. Bring a copy of your orders to the Veterans and Military Center so they can be forwarded to the VA. If you have already deployed, you can fax your orders to the Veterans and Military Center. Also contact your academic department, financial aid, housing (if you are living on campus), the registrar’s and the Division of Student Life.
Repeated Courses:
Courses that are failed or for which the grade does not meet minimum requirements for graduation may be certified for VA purpose if they are repeated. If you repeat a course, you need to have a repeat form signed by your departmental or undergraduate advisor. If the advisor will not sign the repeat form, the VA will not pay for course.
Satisfactory Progress:
If you are pursuing a bachelor’s degree, you are expected to make satisfactory progress toward attaining the degree. In addition you are expected to enter a major and graduate after completion of a reasonable number of credits. Academic failure will directly affect your benefits and will cause serious consequences such as a reduction or loss of benefits.
Transfer Students:
If you are a veteran/military transfer student you will need to fill out the VA 22-1995 “Change of Program/Training Form”. Dependent transfer students will need to fill out the VA 22-5495 “Change of Program/Training Form” for eligible dependents.
Non-Matriculated Students:
If you are a non-matriculated (not yet degree-seeking), you will need to see your advisor for a non-matriculation form.