Understanding Your Benefits and Using Them

This page will make your life easier. The transition from deciding to attend our school and starting on the first day of class can be overwhelming. But never fear. The information on this page will help you throughout the process. If you have further questions, please review the contact information in each step or contact one of our Veteran Certifying Officials in Financial Aid at 304-367-4213.

NOW LET'S GET STARTED!

Visit the VA's Road Map For Success site and let it guide you in your benefit decision.
- Make sure you are fully aware of each benefit option you are eligible for. Remember that a lower percentage of Chapter 33 eligibility might not pay as much as Chapter 30 or Chapter 1607 coupled with tuition assistance from the National Guard or Army Reserves.
- Take the time to understand exactly what your school experience will cost at FSU or Pierpont at our admissions website.
- Determine how long it will take to complete your desired major at our Academic websites and compare that to your entitled money and length of eligibility under each VA benefit.
- If you have further questions regarding your benefits or eligibility, please call the VA at 1-888-442-4551
- Dependents and Spouses use this link to Transfer Chapter 33 benefits or this link for Chapter 35 - Survivors and Dependents Assistance information.

	Post 9/11 Ch 33	MGIB – AD Ch 30	MGIB – SR Ch 1606	REAP Ch 1607	Voc Rehab Ch 31
Eligibility	*ANY* member who served on active duty after 9/10/01 in aggregate days:36+ months = 100%30-36 months = 9024-30 months = 8018-24 months = 7012-18 months = 606-12 months = 5090 days – 6 months = 40 Active duty exclusions include:-Service Academy graduate commitment -ROTC scholarship graduate commitment -Active duty served as a requirement for student loan repayment under chapter 109, 10 USC * Members who serve at least 30 continuous days on active duty and were released due to a service-connected disability are also eligible for 100%	Members who first entered active duty on or after 7/1/85 and who had at least a two-year enlistment. Generally, individuals commissioned as a result of completion of an ROTC program who received more than $3,400 while under an ROTC scholarship each school year and Service Academy graduates are not eligible for chapter 30	Members who have a 6 year obligation to serve in the Selected Reserve signed after 6/30/85. If you are an officer, you must have agreed to serve 6 years in addition to your original obligation. For some types of training, it is necessary to have a 6 year commitment that begins after 9/30/90 Complete your initial active duty for training (IADT)	Generally, a member of a Reserve component who serves on active duty on or after 9/11/01 under title 10, U.S. Code, for at least 90 consecutive days under a contingency operation, is eligible for REAP. National Guard members are eligible if their active service extends for 90 consecutive days or more and their service is:-authorized under section 502(f), title 32, U.S. Code, -authorized by the President or Secretary of Defense for a national emergency, and -supported by federal funds	Active Duty Service Members to receive VR&E services:-Expect to receive an honorable discharge upon separation from active duty -Apply for Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment services -Obtain a memorandum rating of 20% or more from the VA Veterans to receive VR&E services must:-Have received, or will receive, a discharge that is other than dishonorable -Have a service-connected disability rating of at least 10% -Submit a completed application for VR&E services
Benefits	Each of following at your eligible %:-Tuition and fees paid directly to schoolBAH/month payable to an E-5 w/dependents in 26554 zip code paid directly to you - $1176-Book stipend of $41.67 per credit hour up to $1,000 per year paid directly to you.-Those at 100% eligibility and non-resident, can use the Yellow Ribbon Program to help pay for the non-resident rate at FSU/Pierpont	Since Oct. 1, 2010, the full-time monthly rate is $1426.00 for individuals who served 3+ years of service.Since Oct 1, 2010, the full-time monthly rate is $1158.00 for individuals who served less than 3 years of service.	Since October 1, 2010, the full-time monthly rate is $337.00	Since Oct 1, 2009, the full-time (12+ credit hours/ semester) monthly rate is$1,140.80 for individuals with at least 2 years of consecutive active-duty service; $855.60 for individuals with at least 1 year but less than 2 years of consecutive active-duty service;$570.40 for individuals with at least 90 days but less than 1 year of consecutive active-duty service	100% of tuition and fees paid directly to the school. Some other school supplies as deemed necessary by your case worker.

Apply for your VA Benefits on VONAPP. If you have questions about your VA benefits and the application process, please call the VA at 1-888-442-4551 or 1-800-827-1000.
Apply to Fairmont State University or Pierpont Community & Technical College. The Admission Office’s website at Fairmont State/Pierpont has all the information you will need to get through the application process. If you have any questions about high school transcripts, compass testing, submitting your ACT/SAT scores, credits for military training or classes, orientation or general application questions, please call the admissions office at (304) 367-4892 or (800) 641-5678 or email them at admit@pierpont.edu or admit@fairmontstate.edu.
Get your military transcript sent to our Admissions office - Army, Navy or Marines, Air Force
Financial Aid and Scholarships
- Fill out your FAFSA!
  - The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) determines your eligibility for grant and loan aid through the Department of Education.
  - Grant money does not affect your VA benefits. This money may be substantial and you DO NOT HAVE TO PAY IT BACK!
  - There is no deadline to receive Federal Pell Grant money. But it is important you submit your FAFSA as soon as possible (applications available January 1st for the next academic year) to be eligible for as many grants as possible.
  - Please put both school codes on your FAFSA (FSU 003812; PC&TC 040385).
  - You will fill out a FAFSA for every academic year.
- Check out these sites for scholarships
We will contact you.
- Admissions will contact you about your application status and provide you information about Orientation. Orientation is a campus day where you will tour the campus, meet with an advisor, register for classes, and get your parking pass.
- Financial Aid will contact you regarding your FAFSA and your award eligibility.
Veteran Certification Information Card (GREEN CARD) - Once you are enrolled in classes, come to the Student Services Center, 2ndFloor Hardway Hall, and COMPLETE YOUR GREEN CARD.
- All chapters must complete one EVERY SEMESTER.
- Once we have your green card, we will certify your enrollment at FSU/Pierpont with the VA. That is how your money will get disbursed from the VA.
- If you fail to submit a green card each semester, we cannot certify you with the VA and, therefore, no money will come from the VA.
Forms to submit to Debbie Bates or Dave Grabuloff, Veteran Certifying Officials, in the Financial Aid Office, Hardway Hall
- Chapter 33 – Certificate of Eligibility (the VA will mail this to you once they process your application for benefits. This could take 6-10 weeks) or a copy of your DD214 if separated until your Certificate of Eligibility arrives.
- Chapter 33 transferred – Approval form from the Dept. of Defense stating how many months of eligibility the service-member has transferred to you.
- Chapter 30 – copy of DD214 if separated
- Chapter 35 – Copy of Parent or Spouse’s DD214
- Chapter 31 Vocational Rehabilitation students – We cannot certify you with the VA until your Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor sends Fairmont State/Pierpont an approval form for your enrollment at FSU/Pierpont. If you have any questions regarding your case, contact: Judy Oldaker with VR & E at 1-800-733-0512 X3327.
WAVE - Each month the VA requires students receiving Chapter 30, 1606, or 1607 benefits to verify their enrollment and program of study through the VA WAVES system. Students may verify enrollment by phone at 1-877-823-2378 or online using the WAVE portion of the VA website.

Using your VA benefits as a transfer student

If you used your benefits at a different school and now plan on enrolling at Fairmont State University or Pierpont Community and Technical College, please submit VA form 22-1995 to the VA (Chapter 35 submits VA form 22-5495 not 22-1995). You can go to the VA website and submit this form electronically.
Make sure you provide our admissions office with a certified copy of your transcript from your former college.
If you are transferring in the middle of the school year, please go into your FAFSA on the web for the current academic year and add our school codes (FSU 003812; PC&TC 040385). We cannot provide financial aid to you until our school codes are added to your FAFSA and your information transfers to us.

Students

Additional Information