The VA requires that only degree applicable courses are certified for GI Bill benefits. Classes that are not degree applicable cannot be certified. Students utilizing GI Bill benefits at UMKC are required to fill out and submit an enrollment data form to the VA Certifying Official each semester they wish to utilize GI Bill benefits.

• Enrollment Data Form (PDF)
• Instructions on how to fill out the enrollment data form can be found here.
• Example of completed EDF form can be found here.

1. Apply for Admission to UMKC
2. Apply for GI Bill benefits through the Veterans Administration OR if you have already applied, provide your Certificate of Eligibility to the UMKC VA certifying official.
3. Veterans wishing to use the Post 9/11 GI Bill (also known as Ch. 33) can provide a copy of the application they filled out for the benefit or a copy of the Certificate of Eligibility they received from the Veterans Administration outlining their eligibility to the UMKC Certifying Official. Copies can be sent by fax, scanned and emailed, or dropped off in person at the Registration and Records Office located in Room 115 of the Administrative Center at 5115 Oak Street.
4. If you have NOT received VA educational benefits before, provide a copy of your DD214 (Chapter 30 Only) or NOBE (Reserves Chapter 1606/1607). If you are the veteran you will need to fill out a form 22-1990 (Application for Education Benefits). If you are a dependent of a veteran you will need to fill out a form 22-5490 (Dependent Application for Education Benefits). The links for the forms can be found at the bottom of this page. Early submission of these forms can help prevent payment delays.
5. If you have received VA educational benefits at a previous school and you are the veteran you will need to fill out a form 22-1995 (Request for Change of Program or Place of Training). If you are a dependent of a veteran you will need to fill out a form 22-5495 (Dependent Request for Change of Program or Place of Training). The links for the forms can be found at the bottom of this page. Early submission of these forms can help prevent payment delays.

6. The VA requires that only degree applicable courses are certified for GI Bill benefits. Classes that are not degree applicable cannot be certified. Students utilizing GI Bill benefits at UMKC are required to fill out and submit an enrollment data form to the VA Certifying Official each semester they wish to utilize GI Bill benefits.

   • Enrollment Data Form (PDF)
   • Instructions on how to fill out the enrollment data form can be found here.
   • Example of completed EDF form can be found here.
   • Enroll in classes
     • At the end of the first week of the semester, UMKC will certify your enrollment to the Veterans Administration. The VA normally processes claims within 8-12 weeks.
   • Make sure to check your UMKC e-mail often, in case the UMKC VA certifying official needs additional information from you in order to process your certification for GI Bill benefits.
   • Additionally, the Registration Quick Guide is a great tool for all students and contains helpful information about attending UMKC.

Visit the Veterans Affairs Web site on choosing the best benefit for you is available here.

Veterans utilizing Chapter 30, 1606, or 1607 must verify attendance monthly through WAVE

• Chapter 30: Montgomery GI Bill/ Active Duty Military
• Chapter 31: Vocational Rehabilitation
• Chapter 33: (Post 9/11) provides financial support for education and housing to individuals with at least 90 days of aggregate service on or after September 11, 2001, or individuals discharged with a service-connected disability after 30 days. You must have received an honorable discharge to be eligible for the Post-9/11 GI Bill.
• Chapter 35: Spouses and Dependents of Military
• Chapter 1606: Selected Reserves
• Chapter 1607: REAP (Reserve Educational Assistance Program)- members of the Reserves that were called to active duty
• Benefit Comparison Tool: Which benefit is best for you.

For general assistance with college applications, picking a major, and understanding the GI Bill Benefits you've earned, see the Today's GI Bill Web site.

The Registration and Records office will certify your enrollment at UMKC, but is not allowed to counsel students on which benefit is most beneficial.

The Post-9/11 GI Bill became effective for training on or after Aug. 1, 2009.

In order to utilize the Post 9/11 GI Bill, also known as Ch. 33, at UMKC you need to provide the VA Certifying Official a copy of your Certificate of Eligibility (COE) that the Veterans Administration will provide you once they have approved you are eligible for the Ch. 33 benefit. If you do not have a copy of your COE you can provide a printout of the on-line application you filled out for the benefit. Once you receive your COE from the VA you must provide a copy to the Certifying Official.

Once your application or COE is on file with the UMKC VA Certifying Official in the Registration and Records Office an indicator is added to your account alerting the Cashiers and Collections Office that all or a portion of your tuition and fees will be paid by the VA. This indicator also ensures that you will not be dropped from your classes due to non-payment for the current term.

Dependent on the percentage of tuition and fees that Ch. 33 is covering the student is responsible for any remaining balance not covered by the VA. Minimum monthly payments will need to be made on your student account in order to avoid late fees and/or finance charges on the portion of the bill the VA is not covering which could include but is not limited to parking permits, book store charges (including books), meal plans, etc. Once UMKC receives the funding for the portion of tuition and fees that the VA is covering any late fee and finance charges accrued on that amount will be removed by the Cashiers and Collections Office.

Questions about eligibility or benefits associated with Ch. 33 must be directed to the VA at 1-888-442-4551. The UMKC VA Certifying Official is not qualified to answer these questions. Helpful Pamphlets and Factsheets about Ch. 33 can be found here. 

Click here for more information and how to apply for this benefit.

For the first time in history, service members enrolled in the Post-9/11 GI Bill program will be able to transfer unused educational benefits to their spouses or children starting Aug. 1, 2009. Click here for information from the VA on eligibility and how to apply for TEB.

The Yellow Ribbon Program is a provision of the Post-9/11 Veteran’s Educational Assistance Act of 2008. UMKC has voluntarily entered into an agreement with the VA to fund tuition and fee expenses that exceed the in-state tuition rate at UMKC. Visit the Yellow Ribbon Program website for the degree programs that qualify for this benefit for the current academic year. UMKC's participation in the Yellow Ribbon Program for academic year 2011-2012 is outlined in the chart below.

In order to apply for these benefits you must:

1. Determine whether you are eligible for Yellow Ribbon Benefits. You are eligible if you:
• Served in an aggregate period of active duty after Sept. 10, 2001 of at least 36 months

-or-
• Were honorably discharged from active duty for a service-connected disability and served 30 continuous days after Sept. 10, 2001

-or-
• Are a dependent eligible for Transfer of Entitlement under the Post-9/11 GI Bill based on an individual's service under the eligibility criteria listed above.
2. Provide the UMKC VA certifying official with the Certificate of Eligibility that indicates you are Yellow Ribbon eligible along with your application.
3. You cannot be:
• Intending to participate in a study-abroad program

You can also visit the Department of Veterans Affairs Yellow Ribbon website for additional information about this benefit.

On June 24, 2008, Lt. Governor Kinder signed into law the “Missouri Returning Heroes’ Education Act,” which expands education benefits available to service members and veterans with active duty military service on or after Sept. 11, 2001. This act requires UMKC to limit undergraduate tuition charged to certain combat veterans to only $50 per credit hour.

To qualify you must:

1. Have been a Missouri resident at the time you entered active duty service
2. Have served on or after Sept. 11, 2001
3. Have served in armed combat on or after Sept. 11, 2001
4. Have been discharged under honorable conditions
5. Be seeking an UMKC undergraduate degree
6. Maintain a 2.5 cumulative GPA

In order to get the tuition waiver, you must:

1. Provide the UMKC Registration and Records Office with a copy of your DD-214

-or-
2. Provide the UMKC Registration and Records Office with a copy of your orders into a combat zone

Click here to view full text of the Missouri Returning Heroes’ Education Act.

Steps for utilizing Tuition Assistance:

1. If you have tuition assistance, the authorization form from your unit needs to be turned into the Cashier’s and Collections office located in the Administrative Center at 5115 Oak Street Rm 112, Kansas City, MO 64112. If you have any questions about how to establish tuition assistance, contact your unit for specific information.
2. Complete the Student Reference Request form found here and return it to the VA Certifying Official in the Registration and Records Office. Contact information can be found at the top of this page. The screen shot below illustrates how the form should be completed. Completion of this form is required in order for UMKC to comply with the data submissions required by the Department of Defense MOU. Additional information about the MOU can be found here.

Military Transcripts: Information about military transcripts and how to request the transcripts is available from each branch of the military.

Military transcripts should be sent to the UMKC Admissions Office.

• Army (AARTS transcript)
• Navy and Marine Corps (SMART Transcript)
• Air Force (CCAF Transcript)
• Coast Guard (CGI Transcript)

Information about status for Financial Aid purposes can be found here under required reading.

• Do I have to have a specific major?
  Once you have received GI Bill benefits for 2 semesters at any school, you must declare a major and be degree seeking. Any majors with “pre” are not considered degree seeking majors and would not be eligible for certification after 2 semesters of benefits.
• What if I change my major?
  If you have started receiving GI Bill benefits and then decide to change your major, you will need to complete the VA-22-1995 form found under Veteran Forms at the bottom of this page and return it to the Certifying Official. This is necessary before you can be certified to receive your benefits for sub-sequent semesters.
• What happens when I drop a class?
  Each week the Certifying Official will monitor your courses to see if you add or drop hours. When you drop a class and your credit hours change, your new enrollment information is reported to the VA. This change could result in a debt owed to the VA depending on when in the semester the course is dropped.
  Please contact the GI Bill Educational Call Center (1.888.442.4551) for specific questions about creating a debt or the Certifying Official (816.235.1125) to know how the dropped class will be reported to the VA.
• What if I want to take a class at a different school for my UMKC degree?
  A student may take courses at more than one school that apply to his or her degree. The school that will grant the degree is the student’s “parent” school. All other schools are “secondary” schools. The following form needs to be completed with your advisor and returned to the UMKC Certifying Official. Please provide the contact information and fax number for the certifying official at the “secondary” school you are planning to attend.
• I haven’t received my money yet…when will it come?
  The VA pays in arrears which means they will pay at the beginning of each month for education pursued the previous month. For example, when you start class in August, the payment for that enrollment will not be sent until the very beginning of September.
  If you have any questions or believe that you payment is late, contact the VA Educational Call Center at 1.888.442.4551.

• Students who are called to active military duty and their activation conflicts with the current academic semester dates will be refunded full educational fees if they completely withdraw from all courses. Adjusted refunds will be given if you are awarded for some courses and not others.
• Students must present a copy of their military orders to the VA Certifying Official in the Registration and Records Office.
• Depending on the time of the student’s activation, the student is advised to consult with their faculty members in regards to academic issues and grading for completed work.
• Veterans who are currently enrolled and called to active duty will not be required to fill out an admissions application (intent to re-enroll) for up to 18 months when returning to the campus.

The UMKC VA certifying official is located in the UMKC Registration and Records Office. Contact information can be found at the top of this page. Walk-ins are welcome, or appointments may be made by calling 816-235-1121. Individuals with speech or hearing impairments may call Relay Missouri at 800-735-2966 (TTY).

The UMKC VA certifying official provides veterans with forms to apply for educational benefits. Forms are also available to veterans who wish to transfer benefits from one educational program or institution to another. The certifying official's primary responsibility is to certify enrollment status of veterans to the Veterans Administration.

UMKC is NOT able to determine whether a veteran is eligible for benefits, determine the dollar amount of benefits or when students will receive benefit monies from the VA. You can call 1-888-GI-BILL1 or visit www.gibill.va.gov to determine your eligibility or inquire about benefits.

• VA-22-1990 Application for Education Benefits
• VA-22-1995 Request for Change of Program or Place of Training
• VA-22-5490 Dependent Application for Education Benefits
• VA-22-5495 Dependent Request for Change of Program or Place of Training
• Parent Institution Letter | Typeable Version
• Enrollment Data Form (PDF)