Getting Certified

Please see the section titled “What you need” below if you are using your educational benefits for the first time at Brookdale.  Once you are a VA student, your courses are continuously certified while you are in your degree program.

If you collect from the Post 9/11 GI Bill®, you will be required to submit our Pre-Certification Approval Form each semester prior to your information being sent to the VA. We try to submit certifications every two weeks.

Please be sure to select classes that count toward your degree as outlined in the course catalog.  If you take a course that is not part of your regular degree program, or if your Student Development Specialist makes special arrangements for an alternate course to be part of your program, you will need to provide the VA Certifying Official with a letter from your Academic Advisor to verify this will count towards your program.  If your Advisor is unable to provide you with this letter, you will need to select an alternate course.  Your course(s) will not be certified without this information.  If we encounter an issue when trying to certify your courses we will send an email to your Brookdale student email address with an explanation of the information that is needed.  Students should check their Brookdale email account regularly.

Please be sure to notify the VA Certifying Official if you intend to change your major.  You may need to complete additional paperwork.  You will not be certified unless this paperwork is completed.

If you do not wish to have your courses certified for a term, please contact the VA Certifying Official prior to your registration.

Student who use their GI Bill® benefits must make payment arrangements for their courses (Chapter 31-VA Voc Rehab and Chapter 33-Post 9/11 GI Bill® are the only exceptions to this process).  Students can sign up for the Veteran Delayed Payment Plan.  This allows students to pay in three equal sums over a three month period.  Please contact the VA Certifying Official to make arrangements to use this plan.

What you need

While there are a variety of different kinds of VA Benefits student receive, in general students should have the following with them for their initial appointment (or during walk-in VA hour times) after they have registered for their courses:

 

Chapter 30/GI Bill® (NOT Active Duty)

If you have never used your benefits for education:  Complete the VA Form 22-1990 available online at:  https://benefits.va.gov/gibill/apply.asp.  Please print a copy of your completed application confirmation or your updated eBenefits screen indicating your eligibility for benefits, and submit this information to the VA Certifying Official.

If you have used your education benefits for education, have not attended Brookdale for 6 or more months, or have changed your major:  Complete the VA Form 22-1995 available online at: https://benefits.va.gov/gibill/apply.asp.  Please print a copy of your completed application and submit this information to the VA Certifying Official.

Students must also have a copy of their DD-214, Member 4 indicating discharge status (ie. Honorable Discharge).  If you do not have a copy of your DD-214 and need one, please visit:    https://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records/

Montgomery GI Bill® (Chapter 30) students are required to verify their attendance throughout the term.

Student who use their GI Bill® benefits must make payment arrangements for their courses.  Students can sign up for the Veteran Delayed Payment Plan.  This allows students to pay up to three equal sums over a three month period.  Please contact the VA Certifying Official to make arrangements to use this plan.

 

Chapter 31/Vocational Rehabilitation

Students receiving Chapter 31 benefits should contact their Vocational Rehabilitation counselor prior to enrolling in classes.  Your counselor can provide you with information regarding the benefits you are entitled to, and will also provide Brookdale with your 28-1905 form indicating you are eligible to receive Chapter 31 benefits.  The 28-1905 form will indicate tuition/fees and textbook/supplies benefits.

 

Chapter 33/Post 9/11 GI Bill®

UPDATE
Students who attend Brookdale and wish to use this benefit are required to submit their application directly through the VA’s VONAPP system.  We do not accept paper copies of applications that are mailed to the VA.  Please go to:  https://benefits.va.gov/gibill/apply.asp to complete the online application.  Please follow the VA’s instructions when submitting the application if you are unsure of the responses you are supposed to provide.  After you have completed your application please print a copy and provide this copy to Brookdale during our walk-in VA hours or by appointment.  Additionally, you are required to submit the Member 4-Copy of your DD-214 listing an “Honorable Discharge.”  You will also be required each semester to complete the Pre-Certification Approval form prior to your information being submitted to the VA.

Once your application is processed by the VA you will receive a Certificate of Eligibility that outlines the percentage of the benefit for which you are eligible and the timeline in which you can use your benefit.  Please provide a copy of the Certificate of Eligiblity to the VA Certifying Official once you receive it.

For additional information regarding the Post 9/11 GI Bill®, please go to: https://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill/post911_gibill.asp and follow links for the latest information.

 

Chapter 35/Survivors’ and Dependents’ Education Assistance

Students receiving Chapter 35 benefits should complete the VA Form 22-5490 if they have not received Educational Benefits in the past.  This form is available for online submission using VONAPP by going to: https://benefits.va.gov/gibill/apply.asp. After completing your form, please print a copy to submit to the VA Certifying Official.

Students eligible for Chapter 35 benefits who have used these benefits at a previous institution, who plan on changing their major/program of study, or have not been enrolled in courses at Brookdale for 6 months or more, should complete VA Form 22-5495.  This form is available online by going to:  https://benefits.va.gov/gibill/apply.asp.  Please print a copy of your completed application confirmation or your updated eBenefits eligibility information to submit to the VA Certifying Official.

Students who use the Chapter 35 GI Bill® benefits must make payment arrangements for their courses.  Students can sign up for the Veteran Delayed Payment Plan.  This allows students to pay up to three equal sums over a three month period.  Please contact the VA Certifying Official to make arrangements to use this plan.

 

MGIB Select Reserve—Chapter 1606

If you have never used your benefits for education:  Complete the VA Form 22-1990 available online at:  https://benefits.va.gov/gibill/apply.asp.  Please print a copy of your completed application confirmation or your updated eBenefits eligibility information and submit this information to the VA Certifying Official.

If you have used your education benefits for education, have not attended Brookdale for 6 or more months, or have changed your major:  Complete the VA Form 22-1995 available online at: https://benefits.va.gov/gibill/apply.asp.  Please print a copy of your completed application and submit this information to the VA Certifying Official.

Students should also submit their Notice of Basic Eligibility (NOBE) if applicable.

Most 1606 students are required to verify their attendance throughout the term.  For more information on this, please visit the GI Bill® website FAQ section by clicking here.

Student who use their GI Bill® benefits must make payment arrangements for their courses.  Students can sign up for the Veteran Delayed Payment Plan.  This allows students to pay up to three equal sums over a three month period.  Please contact the VA Certifying Official to make arrangements to use this plan.

 

National Guard

Students receiving benefits through the National Guard should first contact their Educational Service Officer to receive a Commander’s Certification. This certification must state the term for the waiver, and must have a signature from your Educational Service Officer.  Students receiving the National Guard Tuition Waiver are also required to file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) each academic year.  To file the FAFSA online, please visit:  http://www.fafsa.ed.govEffective Summer 1 2010,  the State of New Jersey now requires students who wish to use their National Guard Tuition Waiver to submit a completed Commander’s Certification from their unit in addition to proof of application for Financial Aid and the Post 9/11 GI Bill® (with effective date as of the first day of term for which the student is enrolling if they are eligible for the Post 9/11 GI Bill®).

Students using the National Guard Tuition Waiver will first have any GI Bill® funds from the Post 9/11 GI Bill® applied to their tuition costs.  After this reduction has been made any additional tuition charges would be waived using the National Guard waiver.  After the waiver, Post 9/11 GI Bill® and all Financial Aid funds (if applicable) have been applied, should a balance still exist, students will be responsible for fees (paid out-of-pocket payment by the student).  For more information on the Post 9/11 GI Bill® benefits and how to apply, please click here.

Students must meet with the VA Certifying Official during office hours to provide all required documents and obtain permission to register.  Students should complete this process prior to registration.

 

Reserve Education Assistance Program (REAP)—Chapter 1607

If you have never used your benefits for education:  Complete the VA Form 22-1990 available online at:  https://benefits.va.gov/gibill/apply.asp.  Please print a copy of your completed application and submit this information to the VA Certifying Official.

If you have used your education benefits for education, have not attended Brookdale for 6 or more months, or have changed your major:  Complete the VA Form 22-1995 available online at: https://benefits.va.gov/gibill/apply.asp.  Please print a copy of your completed application and submit this information to the VA Certifying Official.

If a student has been discharged they must provide a copy of their DD-214, Member 4 (sometimes called Copy 4 or Mark 4) indicating discharge status (ie. Honorable Discharge).  If you do not have a copy of your DD-214 and need one, please visit:  http://www.archives.gov/veterans/evetrecs/index.html

Most REAP students are now required to verify their attendance throughout the term.  For more information on this, please visit the GI Bill® website FAQ section by clicking here.

Student who use their GI Bill® benefits must make payment arrangements for their courses.  Students can sign up for the Veteran Delayed Payment Plan.  This allows students to pay up to three equal sums over a three month period.  Please contact the VA Certifying Official to make arrangements to use this plan.

 

Tuition Assistance (T.A.)

Students who are eligible for Tuition Assistance should contact their appropriate Educational Officer for their branch of service to receive the Tuition Assistance (T.A.) form.  Once the student has the completed form, this information should be brought directly to the Cashier’s Office located in the CAR building on the Lincroft Campus.  This information should not be provided to the VA Certifying Official.

Once you have completed courses, if you need to have your grades verified, you should bring the grade/end of semester verification forms to the VA Certifying Official to be processed.  Your forms cannot be emailed, but can be faxed to the phone number and contact name you provide to the office.

 


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