How do I become eligible for veterans benefits?
Eligibility for education benefits is determined solely by the VA. See the GI Bill® websitefor answers to most questions regarding benefits. You can also call the VA Education Hotline/Call Center at 1(888) GI-BILL-1 (1-888-442-4551) to inquire about education benefits.
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What benefits do I qualify for?
To find out what federal benefits you may be eligible for, please go to the VA website and review the “Determine your Best Benefit” information for Educational Benefits. This website will go over this information in detail, to help you make the best determinations according to your specific goals and eligibility. MSOE cannot determine which benefit types you are eligible for.
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Where do I go at MSOE for veterans services, assistance, and information?
Please see Support Services for information regarding various departments and specific services.
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Who is the Veterans Certifying Official at MSOE?
Steve Midthun and Lena Scheibengraber are the Veterans Certifying Officials on campus. They can be reached by phone at (414) 277-7223 or by email at midthun@msoe.edu and scheibengrab@msoe.edu.
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How can I certify my student enrollment at MSOE?
Before the beginning of each term, the MSOE Financial Aid Office will send you an email asking you to verify your enrollment. The only action on your part is to email them letting them know when your schedule is finalized for the next term.
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If I don’t respond to the email requests, will my enrollment still be certified?
Yes. The Financial Aid Office will certify your enrollment with the VA starting the second week of each quarter.
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What should I do if I have problems receiving payments for VA benefits?
Please contact the MSOE Financial Aid Office to find out additional information. For housing or book stipends, contact the VA directly at 1-888-GIBILL-1 (1-888-442-4551).
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What do I need to keep in mind if I drop one or more classes?
MSOE has various policies on dropping classes and so does the VA. MSOE’s Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy and the Registrar’s Policy for Probation and Suspension are available for you.
If you are dropping from full-time enrollment (12+ credits) to part-time enrollment after the first Friday of the term, the Financial Aid Office will need to adjust your certification. This adjustment could result in a student debt (owed to MSOE or directly to the VA).
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What if I am called to active duty and I have already paid tuition and/or enrolled in classes?
If you are receiving VA benefits and are called to active duty, it is extremely important that you contact the MSOE Financial Aid Office. You will need to provide MSOE with copies of your deployment paperwork to Steve or Lena, who will terminate your certification with the VA. You will also need to contact Student Accounts and the Registrar, who will work with you on information regarding your charges and course progress.
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After my term of active duty service is over, how do I come back to MSOE?
The Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) of 2008 requires that students who left MSOE to serve in the uniformed services be readmitted into the same program with the same standing they had when they left. MSOE allows for special readmission of these students, with the following provisions:
1. Student’s lapse in attendance was due to active duty in the uniformed services-including the National Guard or Reserve-for more than 30 days.
2. The student must submit documentation that their absence was due to participation in the uniformed services. (Examples of such documentation include a copy of the student’s orders, a DD214, or a signed and dated statement from the student’s commanding officer.)
3. The cumulative length of all absences from MSOE for participation in the uniformed services does not exceed five years.
4. The student will be admitted to the same academic program, with the same academic standing, that he or she was in at the time the absence began. If the exact program is no longer offered, the student will be placed into a program that is most similar to that program, unless the student requests or agrees to admission to a different program.
5. The student’s ability to be readmitted under the terms of the HEOA terminates upon any of the following events:
a. Being separated from the armed forces with a dishonorable discharge.
b. Being dismissed as permitted under section 1161(a) of title 10, United States Code.
c. Being dropped from the rolls pursuant to section 1161(b) of title 10, United States Code.
To start the readmission process, service members must complete an admissions application and contact MSOE’s Admissions Office as well as one of MSOE’s Veterans Certifying Officials.