Frequently Asked Questions
Here are answers to frequently asked questions. If you still have questions, please feel free to call, visit, or email us. Our contact information is located at the footer of every page.
Q: “Do I have to pay the UH Manoa tuition deposit?”
A: If you are using chapter 31 Vocational Rehabilitation or chapter 33 Post 9/11 GI BILL you may request a tuition deposit waiver by emailing admissions.manoa@hawaii.edu. If you already paid the deposit, it will be reimbursed once the remaining tuition balance is covered by Vocational Rehabilitation or Post 9/11 GI BILL. Students who are using VA education benefits other than Vocational Rehabilitation and Post 9/11 GI BILL must pay the tuition deposit since the university does not receive a direct payment for tuition from the VA.
Q: “Where do I turn in my VA education paperwork?”
A: You can email documents via UH File Drop to uhmva@hawaii.edu or hand carry paperwork to the VA Educational Benefits Team located in the Office of the Registrar (QLC 010) for processing
Q: “How do I apply for my VA education benefits?”
A: Go to vets.gov to apply for education, healthcare, disability benefits and more.
Q: “How do I transfer my VA education benefits to my spouse or children?”
A: You can transfer education benefits if you qualify at https://milconnect.dmdc.osd.mil/milconnect/
Q: I am enrolled in school. When will I receive my benefits from VA?”
A: There are many things that affect when you receive your payments. Your school must submit your enrollment to VA for processing to begin. If it’s the first time you are using benefits, it will take longer to process your payment than if you are re-enrolling. In general, it takes about a month to process a first time claim, and about a week for a re-enrollment. If VA needs to verify your service, remarks from your certifying official on your enrollment are a couple of examples of things that can make processing longer. Processing times are longer in the fall than during other terms due to the volume of claims VA receives.
If you are receiving benefits under MGIB-AD (Chapter 30) or MGIB-SR (Chapter 1606), you must also verify your enrollment at the end of each month in order to receive payment for that month. Benefits are paid after each month of school is completed.
Q: My check is less than the amount I was told the monthly rate would be. Why did that happen?
A: The most common reason a check may be less than the monthly rate is that checks are prorated based on the number of days in the month for which you are enrolled.
For example: Your full time rate is $800.00; however your term starts on August 19th and continues through December 14th. Payment for the month of August would include the 19th to the end of the month. (All months are based on 30 days, so months with more or less than 30 days would not affect the rate). Thus your payment for the month of August would be approximately $320.00. Payments for September, October, and November would be $800.00 each month and payment for December would be approximately $373.36 (prorated from the 1st to the 14th).
Here are other reasons your check might be short:
- An overpayment was deducted from your payment
- You reduced your training time after you received your award letter
Q: “How do I qualify for Post 9/11 GI BILL®?”
A:
Q: “I am a purple heart recipient and I was discharged well before my enlistment. Do I qualify for Post 9/11 GI BILL?”
A: Service members and honorably discharged Veterans who were awarded a Purple Heart on or after September 11, 2001 will be entitled to Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits at the 100-percent benefit level for up to 36 months. This is effective on August 1, 2018.
Q: “Do I rate more benefits if I’m a STEM student?”
A: VA will provide up to nine months of additional Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits to certain eligible individuals who:
- have or will soon exhaust entitlement of Post-9/11 GI Bill program.
- apply for assistance, and
- are enrolled in a program of education leading to a post-secondary degree that, in accordance with the guidelines of the applicable regional or national accrediting agency, requires more than the standard 128 semester (or 192 quarter) credit hours for completion in a standard, undergraduate college degree in biological or biomedical science; physical science; science technologies or technicians; computer and information science and support services; mathematics or statistics; engineering; engineering technologies or an engineering-related field; a health profession or related program; a medical residency program; an agriculture science program or natural resources science program; or other subjects and fields identified by VA as meeting national needs.
- has completed at least 60 standard semester (or 90 quarter) credit hours in a field listed above, or has earned a post-secondary degree in one of these fields and is enrolled in a program of education leading to a teaching certification.
Priority would be given to individuals who are entitled to 100 percent of Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits and to those that require the most credit hours.
VA can pay each eligible individual the benefits for up to nine additional months, but the total may not exceed $30,000. VA will not be authorized to issue any Yellow Ribbon payments.
These additional benefits cannot be transferred to dependents.
This expansion becomes effective on August 1, 2019.
Q: “With the new Forever GI BILL law, does that mean my benefits will last forever?”
A: The law removes the time limitation for the use of Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits for individuals whose last discharge or release from active duty is on or after January 1, 2013, children of deceased Service members who first become entitled to Post-9/11 GI Bill program benefits on or after January 1, 2013, and all Fry spouses.
All others remain subject to the current 15-year time limitation for using their Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits.
Q: “What type of discharge is required for the Post 9/11 GI BILL?”
A: Normally, an HONORABLE discharge is required to be eligible for the Post-9/11 GI Bill. However the following types of discharge may also qualify you for the Post-9/11 GI BIll:
- a medical condition which preexisted service and is not service-connected
- a hardship
- a physical or mental condition not characterized as a disability and did not result from willful misconduct but did interfere with the performance of duty
Q: “Where can I get a campus map?”
