Applying for VA Benefits

The Department of Veterans Affairs has an informative GI Bill™ How to Apply web page that you can use to determine your benefit eligibility, compare programs, calculate your benefit and apply online.  The VA can take at least 45 days to approve your benefits and often will take longer

APPLY FOR YOURSELF OR AS A SURVIVOR OR DEPENDENT

Complete the steps for admission and enroll at Modesto Junior College. Steps include submitting your online application, completing the online orientation, meeting with a counselor to create an education plan and to be placed in math and English and applying for financial aid.

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Drop off or email the following military documents to the Veterans Resource Center at mjcveteransservices@yosemite.edu

• Your Certificate of Eligibility (COE) will be mailed to you from the VA. If you have not received it, you can screen shot a picture of your Application for VA Educational Benefits.

• You or your sponsor's discharge (DD-214 Member 4) or Notice of Basic Eligibility (NOBE) papers.

During your first counseling meeting, you will develop an Education Plan in Starfish with the Veterans Counselor.

Your plan will be accessed when your units are reported to the VA. Courses that are not on your approved education plan cannot be certified. Courses that are not necessary to complete your educational goal cannot be certified. Additionally, you must declare a major by your second semester.  After deciding your major, you may need to make another counseling appointment to create a Comprehensive Student Educational Plan if you haven't done so.

Certification is not automatic.  To have your certification submitted to the VA, you must complete the Course Certification Request after you have registered for classes. You will email your Course Certification Request, Class Schedule and a current copy of your Educational Plan to the Veterans Resource Center. Our School Certifying Official will process your request once all necessary documents have been received. 

Enrollment verification is a new requirement for Post-9/11 GI Bill students to verify that they have remained enrolled in the same courses or training every month. Students who receive MHA/kicker payments will have their payments withheld if they fail to verify or report that they are no longer enrolled in their courses or training. To streamline the process, VA is providing the option to verify enrollment easily and securely via text message.

Text Message Verification

• Opt in: Students with a U.S. mobile phone number can use text messages as a simple, quick option for verifying monthly enrollment. As your enrollment approaches, you will receive the following opt-in text: “Post-9/11 GI Bill housing and kicker payments now require monthly enrollment verification. Would you like to submit yours via text? Please reply YES or NO.” Reply “YES” to opt in. The text message link will expire 14 days after receipt, so please respond within that time frame.
• Verify: After opting in, you can verify your enrollment every month simply by responding to the following text message from VA: “Did you remain enrolled in your courses in MONTH YEAR as certified? Please reply YES or NO. If you have dropped all your courses, you must reply NO.” Reply “YES” to verify enrollment for the previous month.  If you don’t reply within 6 days, the conversation will expire and you will need to call the Education Call Center (ECC) at 1-888-GIBILL-1 (1-888-442-4551) domestically or 001-918-781-5678 internationally to verify your enrollment.
  
  Enrollment verification via text message is safe and secure. VA will never ask for your personal information, such as social security number or bank account information, via text.

VA strongly recommends text message verification for verifying your enrollment. 

If you are unable to verify via text, you will need to contact the ECC at 1-888-GIBILL-1 (1-888-442-4551) and ask a representative to verify your enrollment. NOTE: ECC wait times may be high due to the number of students verifying enrollment each month. If you’re not sure if VA has your phone number on file, you can also contact the ECC to update your contact information and ensure you can verify via text.

Students using Post-9/11 GI Bill® benefits are required to verify enrollment each month. Failure to verify for two consecutive months will impact their Monthly Housing Allowance (MHA) and/or kicker payments.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) are encouraging students to sign up for text message verification. This will provide students a simple and convenient verification option and ensure they receive MHA and/or kicker payments uninterrupted.  After December 17, 2021, all impacted students with a US mobile phone number on file will receive an opt-in text as their next enrollment period approaches. Note: Students who do not have a US mobile phone number on file with VA will not be able to use text verification. They will be automatically enrolled into email verification.

Want to Learn More?

Here are step-by-step instructions on how to verify enrollment.

If you fail to verify enrollment for two consecutive months, your MHA/kicker payments will be placed on hold.  In order to have your payments released, you will need to call the ECC to verify your enrollment. When you call the ECC to release your payments, you may also enroll in text message verification at that time.

By regularly verifying your enrollment, you protect your GI Bill entitlement by preventing charges for classes or training you did not attend. Though this new requirement is an additional step, enrollment verification is easy to do and will help you better manage and access your earned benefits, as well as help prevent overpayments.