Chapter Benefits

  • General Information for All VA Chapter Benefits

    How Can I Apply?

    If you have never applied for your VA Educational Benefits, apply online through the Department of Veteran Affairs: VONAPP or contact the Department of Veteran Affairs at 1-888-442-4551. Visit https://benefits.va.gov/gibill/ for more information.

    If have applied for your benefits through Veteran Affairs and want to apply to use benefits at UCSB, please visit Receiving Benefits at UCSB.

    Don't forget to submit a new UCSB Veterans Benefits Request Form for each new quarter that you are attending and wish to use benefits!

    You can find the UCSB Military Benefits Estimate Example here for the 2024-2025 academic year for new students. 

    To see your specific cohort tuition fee for each academic year, please visit the UCSB Office of the Registrar's website for detailed fee and tuition information.

    If you have questions about how the VA payments work, please read this information carefully:

    • Your benefits for the quarter WILL NOT BE PROCESSED OR PAID BY THE VA UNTIL YOU FILE A VBRF WITH UCSB. 
    • For the following benefit types: Ch 35 Dependents Educational Assistance, Montgomery GI Bill Select Reserve Ch 1601, Montgomery GI Bill Ch 30 - please know that payments will be sent directly to you from the VA via direct deposit. NO PAYMENT IS MADE DIRECTLY TO UCSB.
    • For Ch 33 Post 9/11 GI Bill and Ch 31 VRE, UCSB will receive a direct payment from the VA towards your tuition & fees only. Housing benefits are paid directly to the student no matter if you are living in UCSB Housing, the VA will never pay your housing directly to the school. If you are in UCSB Housing you must make payment arrangements with the BARC Billing Office because you are responsible to pay that balance in a timely manner.
    • The VA monthly housing allowance stipend payments are always paid to students in arrears, meaning not until the end of each month, the VA sends you basically like a paycheck for the days that you attended school in that month. So you will not receive anything until the end of Sept at the earliest and it will be a smaller payment for only a few days because school doesn't start until later in the month. Your first full monthly payment won't be until the end of October. Keep in mind breaks where you are not attending will always be deducted from the full monthly amount (partial payments when a quarter is starting or ending).
    • Tuition & Fees will be paid to UCSB directly from the VA, although those payments are always delayed due to a process called "dual certification" in which the VA requires schools to start out reporting $0 for the tuition payment amount, and then later request the appropriate amount of fees (after the add/drop period). Because we know this fee payment is delayed, we share a list with the BARC Billing Office of the expected tuition/fees payments from the VA (Ch 33 and Ch31 only). BARC will reach out to students who have a remaining balance (from Housing) via email, so please be on the lookout for this because they can set you up with a special type of payment plan for the housing balance.
    • If you have questions about VA direct deposit or specific questions about your monthly VA Monthly Housing Allowance payment amount, please call the GI Bill hotline at 888-442-4551. The university does not have access to this information for individual students.
    • Please pay attention to quarterly fee payment deadlines. These usually happen on the 15th of the month prior to the start of the next quarter.

    Payment Plans can be found here: https://www.bfs.ucsb.edu/barc/payment-plans

    Contact BARC here: https://www.bfs.ucsb.edu/barc

     

  • The Post-9/11 GI Bill® (Chapter 33)

    The Post-9/11 GI Bill® 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®.

    Individuals eligible under Chapter 33 are generally entitled to 36 months of educational assistance. And an individual’s eligibility to use Chapter 33 benefits expires 15 years from the date of the last discharge or release from at least 90 consecutive days of active duty.

    As of August 1, 2009, the Post-9/11 GI Bill® is effective for training. Approved training under the Post-9/11 GI Bill® includes graduate and undergraduate degrees, professional degrees, and vocational/technical training. All training programs must be offered by an institution of higher learning (IHL) and approved for GI Bill® benefits. Additionally, tutorial assistance and licensing and certification test reimbursement are approved under the Post- 9/11 GI Bill®.

    The Post-9/11 GI Bill® will pay your tuition based upon the highest in-state tuition charged by a public educational institution in the state where the school is located. The amount of support that an individual may qualify for depends on where they live and what type of degree they are pursuing.

    Benefit Payments

    • Tuition and Fees: paid directly to the school on behalf of the student when the enrollment certification is processed. The tuition and fees payment is prorated by the students benefit level. The payment is the actual net cost for in-state tuition for tuition and fees after the application of tuition specific resources or waiver.
    • Monthly Housing Allowance: paid directly to the student at the beginning of each month for previous month. No payments for housing are ever paid to UCSB. The monthly housing allowance paid equals the Basic Allowance for Housing rate for an "E-5 with dependents" and the zip code of the school (93106). The housing allowance is prorated by the student’s length of service percentage and the rate of pursuit if not full time.
    • Books and Supplies: stipend paid directly to the student. The stipend is $1,000 paid proportionately based on enrollment.

    Visit the Department of Veteran Affairs website for further information about benefit payments rates.

    More Information and How to Apply

    Transfer of Eligibility

    The Post-9/11 GI Bill® also offers some service members the opportunity to transfer all or some of their unused benefits to their spouse or dependent children. The Department of Defense (DoD) determines whether or not you can transfer benefits. Once the DoD approves benefits for transfer, the new beneficiaries apply for them with the VA.

    More Information and How to Apply

    For further information, visit the Transfer Post-9/11 GI Bill® area of the Department of Veteran Affairs website.

  • Dependents Educational Assistance (Chapter 35)

    The Survivors and Dependents Educational Assistance (DEA) program provides education and training opportunities to eligible dependents and spouses of veterans who are permanently ant totally disabled due to a service-related condition or of veterans who died while active duty or as a result of a service-related condition.

    The program offers up to 45 months of education benefits.

    The monthly benefit amount is paid directly to the student. No payments are sent to UCSB.

    Eligibility

    To be eligible, you must be the son or daughter (typically between ages 18 and 26), or spouse of:

    • A Veteran who died or is permanently and totally disabled as the result of a service-connected disability. The disability must arise out of active service in the armed forces
    • A Veteran who died from any cause while such permanent and total service-connected disability was in existence
    • A Service member missing in action or captured in line of duty by a hostile force
    • A Service member forcibly detained or interned in line of duty by a foreign government or power
    • A Service member who is hospitalized or receiving outpatient treatment for a service connected permanent and total disability and is likely to be discharged for that disability. This change is effective Dec. 23, 2006

    More Information and How to Apply

    For further detailed information and eligibility requirements visit the DEA area of the Department of Veteran Affairs website or view the online DEA Program Pamphlet (PDF)

    Current and past rates for this benefit can be found on the US Department of Veteran Affairs website under Rate Tables

  • Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (Chapter 31)

    The mission of Vocational Rehab and Employment is to help veterans with service connected disabilities to prepare for, find, and keep suitable jobs. For veterans with service-connected disabilities, VR&E offers services to improve their ability to live as independently as possible.

    Eligibility

    A veteran may be eligible for VR&E benefits if he or she:

    • Has received, or will receive, a discharge that is other than dishonorable
    • Has a service-connected disability rating of at least 10%, or a memorandum rating of 20% or more from the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA)
    • Applies for Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (VR&E) VetSuccess services

    The basic period of eligibility in which VR&E's VetSuccess services may be used is 12 years from the latter of:

    • The date of separation from active military service
    • The date the veteran was first notified by VA of a service-connected disability rating

    Services

    • Comprehensive rehabilitation evaluation to determine abilities, skills, interests, and needs
    • Vocational counseling and rehabilitation planning
    • Employment services such as job-seeking skills, resume development, and other work readiness assistance
    • Assistance finding and keeping a job, including the use of special employer incentives
    • If needed, training such as On the Job Training (OJT), apprenticeships, and non-paid work experiences
    • If needed, post-secondary training at a college, vocational, technical or business school
    • Supportive rehabilitation services including case management, counseling, and referral
    • Independent living services
    • Assessments of the veteran's interests, aptitudes, and abilities
    • Assessments of whether service connected disabilities impair the veteran's ability to find and/or hold a job using the occupational skills he or she has already developed
    • Vocational exploration and goal development
    • Determine a Voc Rehab Veteran employment Track

    Process Summary

    A veteran who is eligible for an evaluation under Chapter 31 must complete an application and meet with a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor (VRC). If the VRC determines that an employment handicap exists as a result of a service-connected disability, the veteran is found entitled to services. The VRC and the veteran will then continue counseling to select a track of services and jointly develop a plan to address the rehabilitation and employment needs of the veteran, leading to employment or independent living.

    The rehabilitation plan will specify an employment or independent living goal, identify intermediate goals, and outline services and resources needed to achieve these goals. The VRC and the veteran will work together to implement the plan and achieve successful rehabilitation.

    If a veteran is found not to be entitled to services, the VRC will help the veteran locate other resources to address any rehabilitation and employment needs identified during the evaluation.

    More Information and How to Apply

    For further detailed information, eligibility requirements and how to apply, visit the Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment area of the Department of Veteran Affairs Website.

  • Montgomery GI Bill® (Chapter 30 and 1606)

    The Montgomery GI Bill® (MGIB) is available for those who enlist in the US Armed Forces. These benefits are paid on a monthly basis directly to the veteran. Current and past rates for this benefit can be found on the US Department of Veteran Affairs website under Rate Tables.

    There are two main programs:

    Montgomery GI Bill® Active Duty (MGIB-AD) (VA Chapter 30): For active duty members who enroll and pay $100 per month for 12 months and are then entitled to receive a monthly education benefit once they have completed a minimum service obligation. This program provides education benefits to Veterans and Service members who have at least two years of active duty.

    For further detailed information and eligibility requirements, visit the Montgomery GI Bill® (Active Duty) area of the Department of Veterans Affairs website or the view the online Chapter 30 Pamphlet.

    Montgomery GI Bill® Selected Reserve (MGIB-SR) (VA Chapter 1606): For Reservists with a six-year obligation in the Selected Reserve who are actively drilling. Eligibility for this program is determined by the Selected Reserve components and VA makes the payments.

    For further detailed information and eligibility requirements, visit the Montgomery GI Bill® (Reserves) - Selected Reserve area of the Department of Veterans Affairs website or view the online 1606-Reserves.

    The monthly benefit amount is paid directly to the student. No payments are sent to UCSB.