Veterans Services Handbook

VA Benefits Application Process

Applying for VA Education Chapters-30, 31 (Post/911), 33, 35, 1606/1607

• Go to: va.gov

• Verify your personal information

• Category: Education benefits, and Work Study

• Topic: Certificate of Eligibility or Chapter (30, 31, 33, 1606 or Dependents/35)

• What is your relationship to the Veteran

• Continue to follow the educational prompts

**Allow up to three weeks for processing and to receive a Certificate of Eligibility. If you do not receive your certificate, contact the VA directly at (888)442-4551

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Approval for VA Education Benefits

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) requires each applicant for VA Education Benefits to be accepted to an approved curriculum (program of study) before initial certification of attendance can be sent to the VA

Acceptance to Daytona State is achieved by completing the following:

• Daytona State admissions application

• Submission of official high school transcripts, official copies of GED scores, or Adult High School diploma

• Submission of official transcripts from all other colleges attended

• Placement testing: All new students admitted to a program must take an assessment test. Some exemptions exist. Go to daytonastate.edu/testing-center for specific placement testing requirements and exemptions

• Orientation program and requirements

• Meeting with a counselor/advisor to discuss requirements of your program

*Some programs may require additional admission requirements

Benefit Programs and Requirements

All forms needed to apply for education benefits are available in the Veterans' Services Office at Daytona State. Application requirements for education benefits vary from program to program. Your application package must be complete prior to submission to the VA for approval.

Combat Decoration Superior in Precedence

If the student is currently a Florida resident as well as a Florida resident when awarded a superior combat decoration, they can give their DD-214 to the school Veterans' office to have the tuition and fees taken care of. This waiver is applicable for 110% of the required credit hours of the degree or certificate program for which the student is enrolled.

Decoration List

• Purple Heart

• Bronze Star (must be 'V' designation or device)

• Distinguished Flying Cross

• Legion of Merit (must be 'V' Designation or device)

• Silver Star

• Air Force Cross

• Navy Cross

• Distinguished Service Cross

• Medal of Honor

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TYPES OF VA EDUCATION BENEFITS

CHAPTER 33 Post 9/11 GI Bill

Individuals who have served at least 90 aggregate days on active duty after September 10,2001, may be eligible for this program.

Individuals who were in a selected reserve component and served on active duty on or after September 11,2001, for at least 90 consecutive days may be eligible for this program. NOTE: To obtain your monthly housing allowance (BAH) for Chapter 33, you must be attending one credit hour on an onsite course.

Application Package includes:

• Form 22-1990-Application of Education Benefits

• DD214#4 copy-Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty

Individuals training at 50% pursuit or less are not eligible for a housing allowance.

Chapter 30 Montgomery GI Bill

Individuals entering military service on or after July 1, 1985, and elected to have their basic pay reduced by $100 per month for 12 months of their service may be eligible for this program.

Application package includes:

• Form 22-1990-Application for Education Benefits

• DD214#4 coy-Certificate of Release or discharge from Active Duty

Chapter 1606 Reserve/National Guard (also see page#2) Individuals who have agreed to serve six years, on or after July 1, 1985, or extended an enlistment for a period of at least six years in the selected reserve may be eligible for this program.

Application package includes:

• VA Form 22-1990 Application for VA Educational Assistance Benefits (1606) Reserve

• DD Form 2384-Notice of Basic Eligibility (NOBE). Copies are obtained from your Nation Guard or Reserve Educational

• (NOBE). Copies are obtained from your Nation Guard or Reserve Educational

Chapter 35 Survivor's and Dependent's Assistance

Surviving spouses and the children of Veterans who meet the following criteria may be eligible for this program:

• Suffered a service-related death

Chapter 1606/1607-Reserve/National Guard

Individuals who have agreed to serve six years, on or after July 1,1985 or extended an enlistment for a period of at least six years in the Selected Reserve may be eligible for this program.

Application package includes:

• **VA Form 2201990-Application for VA Educational Assistance Benefits

• **DD Form 2384-Notice of Basic Eligibility (NOBE). Forms should be obtained from your National /Reserve Educational Personnel.

• **National Guard members are eligible for the Education Duty for Dollars (EDD) Program, available for national Guard Soldiers and Airmen-Information should be obtained from your Unit's Educational Personnel

• Died as a result of a service-related disability or

• Receive a 100% permanent and total service-related disability

Application package includes:

• Form 22-5490-Application for Survivor's and Dependent's Educational Assistance

• Child's application must be accompanied by a birth certificate

• Spouse's application must be accompanied by a marriage

Chapter 31 Veterans Readiness & Employment (VR&E)

This benefit is designed to assist the Veterans with a service-related disability in obtaining and maintaining employment. A service-related disability rating of 20% or more is required as part of the eligibility requirements.

Western Region:
VA Regional Office
P.O. Box 8888
Muskogee, OK 74002-8888

Veterans should apply for VR&E through the Department of Veterans Affairs and must follow guidelines from the Vocational Rehabilitation and Counseling Division of the DVA regarding application and admission requirements.

Guidelines for Chapter 31 Benefit Users

Maintain contact with your Veteran Readiness and Employment counselor. Make sure you are aware of their name and email information. It is YOUR responsibility to know this information as the School Certifying Officer does not have a roster. Plan ahead and send your email, giving them time to respond. If you moved here from out of state, you will need to contact them at the information below:

Department of Veteran Affairs
1000 Legion Place, Suite 1500
Orlando FL 32801
Phone: (407)835-5600
Email: EVA@VA.GOV

Your Veteran Readiness and Employment counselor is responsible for sending your 1905 form (the form you use to get books and defers your tuition/fees) to our School Certifying Officer. Be sure that your counselor knows you are planning to attend classes for the semester; do not assume they know. Please send a copy of your schedule to them as soon as you register for classes.

Contact your counselor and ensure your 1905 was emailed to the School Certifying Officer at Daytona State College. Your counselor can send the form 1905 to:
Veterans@DaytonaState.edu

• The School Certifying Officer cannot make changes to the 1905 voucher; if you need additional supplies or items that are not listed on the voucher; you are responsible for contacting your Vocational Rehabilitation counselor to make that request. If your counselor approves the request, they will need to send our office the updated 1905 voucher.

Your Veteran Readiness and Employment counselor can forward the updated 1905 to VeteransServices@DaytonaState.edu

• You need to certify your hours at the DSC Veterans Services Office every semester that you plan to use Chapter 31 Your Veteran Readiness and Employment counselor does not do this process for you. You can visit the office Monday through Friday from 8 a.m.- 5 p.m.
• If you are eligible for a tuition and fees deferment, you must visit the Veterans Services Center as soon as you sign up for classes each term. You will bring with you a copy of your schedule for a deferment to be placed on your student account.
• You cannot receive the 1905 until you certify your hours at DSC with the SCO. Once you are certified, you will need to give the School Certifying Officer time to prepare for the 1905.
• Certify as early as possible. Veterans Services begins accepting certifications approximately 60 days before each semester, including summer.

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Certifying Enrollment

Certifying is the process by which Daytona State College verifies to the VA a student's dates of attendance, degree program and number of credit hours taken. The VA will not pay any student without receiving this certification. You must bring your schedule each semester to the VA Office and complete the Veteran's Deferment Form and Request Form Certification Form before being certified for that semester to ensure all classes meet requirements.

Note: All courses taken must be in your selected program. VA students will

not be certified for, nor paid by the VA for courses that are not in their program, audited classes, withdrawals, or non-required courses

Forms can be obtained online via the Daytona State College website and submitted by email to VeteransServices@DaytonaState.edu. Forms can also be completed online by selecting either New Student Process or Continuing Student Process on the Veterans Services page. Again, students must request certification every semester after they have registered for classes.

Note: Certification request Form and Deferment Form must be submitted to the Veterans Services Office immediately after signing up for classes so that your courses will not be dropped for non-payment

Telephone/Internet Certification for Chapters30 and 1606 Students receiving GI Bill benefits under Chapter 30 and 1606 must verify enrollment with the VA at the end of every month they attend class. All students enrolled in Non-College Degree (NCD) programs measured in vacation/clock hours must also submit attendance sheets on a weekly basis to the Veterans Services Center at Daytona State College. Chapter 35 recipients are not required to certify with the VA unless enrolled in a Non-College-Degree (NCD) program. To verify enrollment, students can call (877)823-2378 or access the VA's website http://www.gibill.va.gov and click on 'verify school attendance'.

Determining Which Courses to Take (Contact Academic Advising) The Daytona State catalog and program guides outline the courses required for graduation in each program. All courses must be drawn directly from the outline as it appears in the catalog in effect at the time of your enrollment. You will be certified for only those courses required for your degree. A student who is not in continuous attendance must graduate under the provisions of the catalog in effect at the time of their re-entry. Summer semester attendance is not necessary to be considered continuous attendance.

Repeating Classes

Benefits will not be paid for repeating courses in which a passing grade ('D' or above) is received. An exception is if the College's policy or a state statute requires a 'C' or above to successfully complete the course. For Chapter 31 students, see your case manager.

Attendance

Students must attend class regularly. Faculty will report students who stop attending classes, and the last date of attendance will be reported to the VA.

Vocational Certificate Programs

VA regulations require attendance records be kept on students enrolled in programs not leading to a standard college degree. VA benefits may be suspended if the student accumulates three or more unexcused absences during any calendar month. Three tardy days will count as one absence, and two partial days count as one absence. Also, all students enrolled in Non-College Degree (NCD) programs measured in vocational/clock hours must also submit attendance sheets on a weekly basis to the Veterans Affairs Office at Daytona State College.

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Training Rates

Standard Semesters (15-19)

CREDIT HOURS	TRAINING TIME	MONTHLY RATE OF PAY
12 or more	Full time	maximum allowance
9-11	¾ time	75% of maximum
6-8	1/2 time	50% of maximum
5 or less	Below ½ time	tuition and fees

 For training less than ½ time, the VA will pay total tuition and fees only up to a maximum amount. Payment may be issued in a single check or monthly.

Accelerated & Summer Seasons 

	6WEEKS	8WEEKS	10WEEKS	12WEEKS
Full Time	4 or more years	6 or more	7 or more years	8 or more
¾ time	3	4-5	5-6	6-7
½ time	2	3	4	4-5

 Chapter 33 recipients must be enrolled more than half-time and cannot be in all online classes in a semester to be eligible for BAH payments

Changes

All add/drop changes after initial certification should be reported by the student to the Daytona State Veterans' Services Office and forwarded to the VA Regional Office. Withdrawing or adding classes may change the eligible monthly rate received by the overpayment of benefits. Students are encouraged to report these changes in a timely manner to avoid these situation.

If adjustments are made to your schedule due to adding or dropping a course, it is possible that a VA overpayment will be made, and you will receive a debt letter. If you are to receive a debt letter, bring a copy of it to the Student Accounting office to ensure that the overpayment is valid, and adjustments can be made.

Changing Majors

Students must report a change of major to Daytona State College's Veterans Services Office at the beginning of the semester in which the change occurs Students will be required to complete a change of program request, VA Form 22-1995 (Chapters 33, 30, 1606) or 22- 5495 (Chapter 35). For Chapter 31 students, see your Vocational Rehabilitation Case Manager.

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Financial Aspects

Payment of Tuition and Fees

Unless a deferment is granted, students are responsible for making payment by the due date listed on their statement schedule to avoid being dropped from courses. In some cases, checks have been delayed for two or more months after the start of class. If checks are delayed, benefits are retroactive to the first day of class.

Deferment

All eligible Veterans/Dependents (except Chapters 31 and 33) whose tuitions/fees are automatically put on hold will complete a Veterans Certification Request Form and a Deferment Form (books and supplies not included) to have tuition/fees deferred for that particular semester on a specific date set by the VA (the Veterans Services Office will provide the applicable dates). Please be aware that withdrawal from any classes after the end of the Drop/Add period must still be paid for even if classes were dropped prior to paying for the deferment.

Non-VA Financial Aid

The Veteran/Dependent student is also eligible to apply for any other financial aid available to the general campus population. This financial aid includes loans, grants, scholarships, and student employment. The Free Application for Federal Financial Aid (FAFSA) is used to determine financial need for all forms of federal aid, as well as most scholarships. You can apply for federal aid at www.fafsa.ed.gov

Initial Check for First Time Students

The monthly VA education award may be prorated if necessary. For example, if the first term of your enrollment begins on the 15th of the month, the monthly rate will be divided by 30 (the number of days in a standard month) and the daily rate is multiplied by the number of days you attended class that month. This is the amount of your check for the first month of attendance. Payment is made at the beginning of the month for the previous month.

Break/Interval Pay

Effective for enrollment periods beginning on or after August 1, 2011 payment for any breaks between any terms is prohibited for an GI Bill program. Breaks occurring during a term or session (such as Spring Break) will be paid.

Standards of Progress

Students must maintain satisfactory academic progress and conduct to continue receiving VA education benefits. Education benefits will be suspended for unsatisfactory progress immediately following any semester when an eligible person receives all of 'I' or 'F' or a combination

An eligible person is placed on academic warning if the student's cumulative grade point average (CGPA) falls below 2.0 in any semester. Education benefits would be suspended for failure to achieve satisfactory progress if their CGPA fails below 2.0 for a second consecutive semester. Benefits will be suspended until the student completes one semester without VA assistance and attains a minimum of a 2.0 CGPA.

Appeals

The Veteran or dependent may appeal a VA decision to the Board of Veterans Appeals at any time within one year of the date of his or her notification letter. Each notice of decision the VA issues contains your legal rights and appeal procedures. The appeal process is initiated by filling out a Notice of Disagreement with the VA will advise the student of their procedural rights as the claim progresses through the appeals process.

It is not within the realm of responsibility for the Daytona State College VA office to assist with appeal claims.

VA Website and Phone Numbers

VA-Muskogee Regional Office VA Regional Office
P.O. Box 8888
Muskogee, OK 74402-8888
Phone: (888)442-4551

Your official source for information on VA Education Benefits:

https://ask.va.gov

Certify by telephone at the end of each month and click on 'verify attendance' Phone: (877) 823-2378

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Daytona State College Certifying Officer

Veterans@DaytonaState.edu

Phone: (386)506-3065

Veterans Center Phone numbers:
Daytona Beach Campus 1200 W. International Speedway Blvd. Daytona Beach Fl 32114	(386) 506-3956
Advanced Technology College 1770 Technology Blvd. Daytona Beach FL 32117	(386) 506-4206
DeLand Campus 1155 County Road 41399 Deland FL 32724	(386) 785-2205
New Smyrna Beach/Edgewater Campus 940 10th St New Smyrna Beach FL 32168	(386) 423-6313
Flagler/Palm Coast Campus 3000 Palm Coast Parkway Southeast Palm Coast FL 32137	(386) 246-4841
Deltona Campus 2351 Providence Blvd. Deltona FL 32725	(386) 789-7317

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 website https://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill

Charles 'Chuck' Fordham, II - Veterans Services Coordinator-I

Email: Charles.Fordham@DaytonaState.edu Phone: (386)506-3870

Vannesia Ricks - Sr. Administrator Assistant

Email: Vannesia.Ricks@DaytonaState.edu Phone: (386) 506-3254

(updated April, 2026)