Veterans Affairs (VA) Ch. 35 – Dependents’ Education Assistance

Dependents’ Education Assistance Benefit Summary

How to use your Dependents’ Education Assistance

Step One: Complete Veterans Affairs Paperwork

Go to the VA.gov website to fill out and submit the appropriate Application for VA Education Benefits form to the Department of Veterans Affairs (see below).

• 22-5490 – Use if you are applying for Veterans education benefits for the first time.

You may want to print a copy of this document for your records. To verify you have successfully submitted your form to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, a confirmation number will appear on the bottom of each page of the form you print out.

Step Two: Contact the Office of Military Affairs

Once you have completed and submitted your Application for VA Education Benefits to the VA, you must notify Liberty University’s Office of Military Affairs of your intent to use your Chapter 35 benefits for enrollment. Please note that we do not automatically receive this notification from the VA. To complete this step, please notify our office by emailing us and indicating that you will be using Chapter 35 benefits.

If this is your first time using VA Education Benefits, please note that your application must be processed and approved by the VA before our office can begin certifying your enrollment. Documentation is not typically required to establish or use your benefit with Liberty; however, if you are switching to Chapter 35 from another VA education benefit, documentation may be required and will be requested by our office as needed.

Please Note: The VA file number, as well as the first and last name of the Veteran through whom you are receiving benefits, are required for your enrollment certifications to be submitted to the VA. You may provide this information by contacting our office directly. Because you are using Chapter 35 benefits, the VA file number should be the Social Security Number of the Veteran.

Step Three: Registration and Certification

Once you have completed Steps 1 and 2, and you have enrolled in courses, the Office of Military Affairs will submit an enrollment certification (22-1999) to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The processing time for the GI Bill is 3-5 business days for the current semester. However, this may not be consistent for a future semester when the current semester is still active, as the current semester’s processing will take priority. For a future semester, it may take up to 30 business days for GI Bill benefits to be processed. As soon as all students have been processed for the current semester, the Office of Military Affairs will be able to prioritize the future semester. This typically occurs two weeks after the start of the current semester’s D sub-term. After that point, students should expect their courses for the future semester to be reviewed within 3-5 business days.

Once your courses have been certified, you will receive an email to your Liberty email account indicating the courses and dates that were reported to the VA. On average it will take 6 weeks for the VA to process your certifications. Once the VA has processed the enrollment certification, they will begin issuing your monthly payments to you directly for your courses. These monthly payments are issued at the beginning of each month for the previous month of enrollment.

Step Four: Complete Financial Check-In

Please remember that arrangements for the full payment of your tuition and fees must be made during the completion of your Financial Check-In. Within Financial Check-In, qualifying students have the option of using federal financial aid or payment plans.

Please review our Financial Check-In Guide for more information.

Step Five: Verifying Your Enrollment

Before the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) can release payment to you for these courses, you will need to verify your enrollment with the VA. Visit the VA’s verification webpage for more information. Keep in mind that verification will need to be completed on the first day of every month during the term to release the payment for the previous month.

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 Web site at https://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill.