The Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2017 allows VA to restore entitlement to beneficiaries affected by school closure or disappoval (if the disapproval was due to a change in law or VA interpretation of statute).
Did your degree program close between 2015 and 2017? Did you use any of your Post-9/11 GI Bill to cover tuition? If so, you may qualify for restoration.
If you attended an Institution of Higher Learning (e.g. college or university) program from January 1, 2015 to August 16, 2017 using your GI Bill benefits, and you have not transferred any of your credits to another college, you may qualify for restoration of the entitlement charged for the term you attended during the program or school closure.
VA will not charge you for the term, quarter, or semester you were attending when the school closed or your program was disapproved if:
For courses that ended after August 16, 2017, the housing allowance would be payable until the end of the end of the term, quarter, or semester that you attended during the program or school permanent closure; or 120 days after the school or program ends (whichever is sooner.)
Section 109 of the Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2017 allows the Department of Veterans Affairs to restore entitlement to beneficiaries affected by a school closure or disapproval (if the disapproval was due to a change in law or VA interpretation of statute).
The law defines two types of restoration of entitlement cases:
Beneficiaries will qualify for the Special Application provision if:
Beneficiaries will qualify for Regular Restoration of Entitlement if:
When a school closes or is disapproved during an active term, enrolled beneficiaries may be eligible to continue receiving MHA payments until the original end of the term or for 120 days (whichever occurs sooner). This MHA payment can only be made if the closure/disapproval happened on or after August 16, 2017.
Note 1: There is no entitlement charge for MHA payments made during this time period.
Note 2: By law VA is not authorized to make the above described MHA payments until August 1, 2018. If your school closed or was disapproved prior to this date and if you are due an MHA payment, VA will make that retroactive payment after August 1, 2018.
If your school closed and you believe you meet the requirements outlined above – complete the Educaton Benefit Entitlement Restoration Request Due to School Closure or Withdrawal form.
Submit that form online though the “Submit a Question” button on the GI Bill website or via mail to:
or to your Regional Processing Office.
If you have any additional questions, contact the Education Service Call Center at 888-442-4551. The Call Center is open from 7:00am – 6:00pm Central Time.