Back

This is probably the question asked most frequently by SRSU’s VA students. Unfortunately, there isn’t much that the Veteran’s Certification office can do if your check doesn’t arrive. The first thing you can do is to call our office to ensure your certification has been sent. If it has been sent, you should next call the VA at (800) 442-4551. The people at this number can look up your file when you provide them your VA claim number. They can tell you if they’ve received your certification. If not, call us up again and ask us to resubmit your certification.

Many veterans assume that the VA is automatically informed by the Registrars office when they change their address or major, or withdraw from SRSU. This is not the case! Each veteran is personally responsible for reporting any change in their file directly to the Veteran’s Certification officer, as well as to the Registrar’s office. There are VA forms which must be filled out whenever you move or change your program. We do receive a weekly printout of anybody who has dropped a class or withdrawn from school, and an adjustment is sent to the VARO. All added classes, however, must be reported to the Veteran’s Certification officer by the veteran in order to receive the applicable benefits.

No repeated course may be certified for VA benefits if you previously received a grade of D or better for the course. If your degree requirements specifically state in the Catalog that you must make a certain grade in the course, you may repeat the course until the appropriate grade has been earned. If you make an F in a course, you may repeat it, but you will be paid for only one repeat. If you make a second F in a course, the VA will require you to repay the money for that course.

Entering freshmen may be classified as undeclared majors. Those requesting undeclared major classification may only be certified for courses that are part of the core curriculum. Upon completion of the core curriculum, you must declare a major at the Registrar’s Office and provide the Veteran’s Certification officer with an updated copy of an official degree plan. The degree plan must show how all transfer or previous credits have been used in the degree plan.

If you are attending SRSU and another school, SRSU will normally be considered the parent institution. To get the VA to pay for courses at SRSU and the other school, you must be registered at both schools. You will need to bring proof of registration at the other school to the SRSU Veteran’s Certification officer, and complete the required sections of the Parent Institution Letter. Courses taken at the other school must equate to courses on your degree plan in order to be certified. Once it is signed by the SRSU Certifying Official, the form can be hand-carried to the other school for certification. A transcript must be forwarded to SRSU’s Registrar showing course completion in order for it to be counted toward your graduation.

Break pay has been eliminated in most programs.

One or two times a year, the Veteran Affairs Regional Office (VARO) or the Texas Veteran’s Commission sends an adjudicator to our school to audit our files. They are checking to ensure you have only taken those courses that are required for your degree. If they find courses that were taken which do not apply, you will be required to pay the money back. It is not possible for the SRSU Veteran’s Certification officer to conduct individual degree checks, however, we try to monitor your file as best as we can. We will not accept responsibility for you taking a course which does not apply toward your degree. If you are caught in an audit, it will be up to you to justify the courses you took.

Students who remain on academic probation for two consecutive terms will generally be considered by the VARO to be making unsatisfactory progress. Normally, two semesters of academic probation are followed by academic dismissal if improvement isn’t shown. There are certain circumstances in which SRSU might allow a student to continue a third or subsequent semester on academic probation. In this case, the student will not be eligible for reinstatement of their VA benefits until they complete the required paperwork at the Veteran’s Certification office.

If you are enrolled Ā½ time or more, and have a deficiency in a course in which you are currently enrolled, you are eligible for tutoring expenses of up to $100 per month for a maximum of $1200 total. Applications are available in the Veteran’s Certification office. Before applying for tutorial assistance, contact the Student Support Services, FERG 112, for assistance. Chapter 31 vets must see their VA counselor for VA tutoring assistance.

At present, there are no opportunities for the VA work study program at SRSU , or in the surrounding area.

The Special Student Classification can only be used for the time it takes to do whatever is necessary to reach your degree-seeking status. Each semester that you are classified as a special student, you are required to have your courses certified by an academic advisor, stating that these courses are required for your objective. This is required every semester, and certification will not occur until we’ve received this written approval. Special Students do not have transfer evaluations made until they become degree-seeking, therefore, you must submit your degree plan the semester you become degree-seeking.

Fall/Spring Semesters

Full Time – 12 or more semester hours
3/4 Time – 9-11 semester hours
1/2 Time – 6-8 semester hours

Summer Semesters

Full Time – 6 or more hours in each five-week session
3/4 Time – 4-5 hours in each five-week session
1/2 Time – 3 hours in each five-week session

The Special Student Classification can only be used for the time it takes to do whatever is necessary to reach your degree-seeking status. Each semester that you are classified as a special student, you are required to have your courses certified by an academic advisor, stating that these courses are required for your objective. This is required every semester, and certification will not occur until we’ve received this written approval. Special Students do not have transfer evaluations made until they become degree-seeking, therefore, you must submit your degree plan the semester you become degree-seeking.

Fall/Spring Semesters

Full Time – 9 or more semester hours
3/4 Time – 7-8 semester hours
1/2 Time – 5-6 semester hours

Summer Semesters

Full Time – 4 or more hours in each five-week session

When you first request VA Certification in the Teacher Certification program at SRSU, you need to bring the Veteran’s Certification Officer a copy of an unofficial evaluation prepared by the Teacher Certification Office. Please allow yourself plenty of time to set up this program with both the Teacher Certification and the Veteran’s Certification office. Once you have received your official evaluation from Teacher Certification, you need to bring a copy to the Veteran’s Certification Officer. All required courses for Teacher Certification must be on file in our office.