Veterans Support Services

Take these six steps

• Step 1 — Applying for Benefits

  Any member of the military (active duty), veterans or veteran-dependents that qualify for GI Bill ® benefits must apply for benefits through the (U.S. Department of Veterans’ Affairs) by using the Veteran’s Online Application (VONAPP).

  After applying for benefits it takes 6–8 weeks before you will receive a Certificate of Eligibility in the mail. This Certificate of Eligibility is your proof that you are indeed eligible to receive funds under the GI Bill ®.

  View sample Certificate of Eligibility.

  If you need to check on the status of your application once you have applied, you can do so via the GI Bill ® hotline:

  1-888-GIBILL-1 (1-888-442-4551).

  Note: Members of the Selected Reserve can be issued a Notice of Basic Eligibility (DD Form 2384, commonly referred to as a NOBE, pronounced no-be) by their National Guard or Reserve unit stating they are eligible for the Montgomery GI Bill ®—Selected Reserve. The NOBE is an alternative or supplemental document for establishing eligibility that’s primarily used to verify eligibility for 120 days after the date it’s issued.

  If you turn in a NOBE temporarily in place of a Certificate of Eligibility to our school-certifying official while you are waiting for one to be mailed to you, please note that you will still have to turn in a copy of your Certificate of Eligibility to our school-certifying official once you receive it. You would have to contact the education liaison at your base of operations to get a NOBE.

  Please note If you opt to use a NOBE, then you must still apply for GI Bill ® benefits and receive a standard Certificate of Eligibility through the VA as detailed above in order for your benefits claim to be processed.

  The certifying official in our Financial Aid Office will need a copy of this Certificate of Eligibility letter in order to certify you to begin receiving these funds and to set you up to defer billing with our Student Accounts Office. This means that you should ideally apply for benefits through the VA no later than 8 weeks prior to the beginning date of the semester in which you wish to enroll if this is your only available method of payment.

• Step 2 — Requesting GI Bill ® Certification through the College

  Once you have registered for courses for a given semester you should log into MyPlattsburgh. You will need to fill out the form located the Student Services tab, in the Financial Aid section called “Request Certification of GI Bill ® / Veteran’s Benefits.” This must be done once a semester for each semester that you are attending and wish to use GI Bill ® Benefits as each request is only valid for one semester.

• Step 3 — Submitting a Certificate of Eligibility

  Before being certified to receive GI Bill ® benefits for the first time at SUNY Plattsburgh (whether you have used benefits at another college or institution before or not) you must turn in a copy of your Certificate of Eligibility to our Financial Aid Office.

  If you have ever used your GI Bill ® benefits at any other institution of higher learning before attending SUNY Plattsburgh, then you must also submit either the:

  • VA Form 22-1995 (Request for Change of Program or Place of Training form) [For Veterans and Active-Duty] OR
  • VA Form 22-5495 (Dependents’ Request for Change of Program or Place of Training form) [For Dependents of Veterans]
    
    

  These completed forms need to be submitted to our financial aid office, as well.

  Corey can receive these documents in person, by fax or by mail.

  By Mail: If you would like to mail in these documents to our financial aid office, then you can mail them to the following address:

  Financial Aid Office
  SUNY Plattsburgh
  101 Broad Street
  Plattsburgh, NY 12901-12681

  By Fax: If you would like to fax these documents to our financial aid office the fax number is: 518-564-4079.

  In Person: If you would like to turn these forms into the financial aid office in person, the office is located on the fourth floor of the Kehoe Administration Building. For additional help in finding your way around campus, please visit our directions and maps.

• Step 4 — Estimating Benefits

  To find out what amounts you should expect to receive from the VA once you are certified by the college’s certifying official (excluding Chapter 33 – Post-9/11 GI Bill ®), please consult with the following Education and Training Rate Tables.

  If you are receiving funds under Ch. 33 (Post 9/11 GI Bill ®), you can input your information into the (Post-9/11) GI ® Bill Comparison Tool:

• Step 5 — Verifying Attendance

  If you have been certified under Chapter 1606, Chapter 1607, or Chapter 30 of the GI Bill ®, then you must verify your attendance starting on the last day of each month for which you are taking classes in order to receive your monthly GI Bill ® benefits. *Note you only verify attendance for months in which you have at least one day of college attendance. In order to verify your monthly attendance you can either call 877-823-2378 or visit the following website to verify your attendance online.

  Note: If you have been certified under Chapter 31 (Voc. Rehab.), Chapter 32 (VEAP), Chapter 33 (Post-9/11), or Chapter 35 (DEA), then you do not verify your monthly attendance at all.

• Step 6 — Requesting Certification in Future Semesters

  Register for classes each proceeding semester and notify the School Certifying Official in the financial aid office of your registration by logging into MyPlattsburgh and filling out the form located the Student Services tab, in the financial aid section called “Request Certification of GI Bill ®/Veteran’s Benefits. Note you do not have to turn in another copy of your Certificate of Eligibility after you have done so in your first semester attending the college.

  If you have changed your major from a previous semester while attending SUNY Plattsburgh, then you must also submit either the VA Form 22-1995 (Request for Change of Program or Place of Training form) for Veterans and Active-Duty — or — VA Form 22-5495 (Dependents’ Request for Change of Program or Place of Training form) for Dependents of Veterans to School Certifying Official as well.