Effective April 27, the MSSC will begin to submit Summer VA certifications for only the following students:

-  All VA benefits for students pursuing fully online degrees (UTEP Connect programs & MSN)

-  All Ch. 30 / Ch. 35 / CH. 1606  

What about CH. 33 Post 9/11 and CH. 31 Voc Rehab for those students intraditional resident programs? Those UTEP courses are pending data to be received by the Provost Office in order to submit to the VA. 

Why is this occurring?  Due to COVID-19 and all UTEP Summer courses transitioning to online, the VA requires schools to submit which courses were originally offered as resident/face to face. If courses were originally offered as resident, the VA will pay your standard MHA rate as if you were face to face. If your courses were not originally listed as resident, then you will only be paid the online housing rate. For rates, please visit:

https://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill/resources/benefits_resources/rate_tables.asp#Ch30

When can I expect my Ch. 33 / Ch. 31 enrollment to be submitted? Our target date is to begin to submit the last week of May. We will send an email update once we begin. 

Do I need to make payment arrangements in order to not be dropped from my courses? If the MSSC has your VA updated/current Letter of Eligibility, then you will be protected from being dropped or making payment arrangements for Summer. 

When should I expect to get paid?

If you are certified prior to July 1 and are full time, you can expect to receive your June MHA o/a July 1. 

What is full time considered for the VA in the Summer? 

Undergraduates:

OPTION 1: Three Semester Credit Hours (SCH) in Summer Session 1 (June) AND three SCH in Summer Session 2 (July)

OPTION 2:  Six SCH in the 8 week term that last both months 

Graduate Students: Depends on # of hours and enrollment period length

How do I know when I was certified?

You will receive an email from the VA generated system to the email you have on record with UTEP

What can I do in the meantime to ensure my certification will not be delayed?

·       Verify your residency waiver status. If your residency waiver is expiring in Summer/Fall 2020 please renew by submitting required documents found here: https://www.utep.edu/student-affairs/admissions/resources/index.html

·       Verify your courses are on your CAPP (degree plan)

a.     Login to your goldmine account

b.     Select Student Records

c.     Select Degree Evaluation

d.     Generate New Evaluation 

e.     Select the Program and click on the Generate Request Icon

*GPA courses, Free Electives, Non-Program Electives, Non-Contributing, and Additional Hours Applied courses cannot be certified to the VA. If any of your courses populate in these areas, please follow up with your advisor and request an updated degree plan be sent to mssc@utep.edu*

·       If/once you are registered, avoid making changes to your courses as this will impact your final MHA rate

What if I am using Hazlewood or DoD TA?

·       Summer Hazlewood processing will also be beginning April 27. Remember that you must meet SAP (https://www.utep.edu/student-affairs/financialaid/eligibility/sap.html).

·       DoD TA, ensure you are communicating with our Fort Bliss Counselor, Darren Pursel, dpursel@utep.edu to set up your TA portal correctly.