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Welcome Veterans and Dependents
Military Friendly Schools
JMU has been selected by G.I. Jobs Magazine as a Military Friendly School for 2013.
This honor places JMU in the top 15% of all schools nationwide.

Soldier with flag

Thank you for your personal service or for the service of your relative to our nation!

This website honors those "selfless souls" that have served, are currently serving, and their families.  Personal integrity, commitment, loyalty, dedication, duty, honor, and sacrifice are "hallmark" terms that accurately describe veterans.

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Attention - VA MOST LIKELY will not pay until mid-October for Fall semesters and March for Spring semesters AND we must have your JMU form to process your semester enrollment. 

Please have funds upfront each semester to cover books and room and board charges (or 2 months of living expenses if living off campus).  If a student is living on campus, the Room and Board charges must be paid by the 1st Friday of the semester to avoid a late fee and a hold.  Be sure to return your JMU Form promptly in order to not delay payments further.  See below for the JMU Form policy. You must return the JMU Form to request benefits.

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For All Students: NEW PROCEDURE

If a student is to receive VA benefits for a semester or summer session, he/she must complete his/her personalized “JMU Request for Veterans Educational Benefits” form (received via email) in its entirety (including advisor signatures) and return via the delivery instructions on page 2 of the form.  Course schedule must be set (overrides secured; no changes to be made) before turning in the form.  Failure to return the form could significantly delay payments from VA.  Please contact Trudy or Kelly with any questions.

Only courses for your major(s) require advisor initials and signatures.  If the course counts for a gen-ed, minor, or degree only, it does not require a signature.

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For Veterans/families being charged out-of-state tuition:

The initial decision on residency will be made by our undergraduate Admissions Office. To be eligible for a military exception, you would need to be assigned a permanent duty station in Virginia (Note: The Pentagon is actually in Virginia.)

Receiving VA Benefits does not automatically qualify a servicemember/veteran/dependent for in-state tuition and residency. Please contact the following individuals with questions regarding residency:

  • If you are an incoming student and have questions about the fall semester and domicile, please contact Tammy Senger-Puckett in our Admissions Office at 540-568-5681.
  • If you have questions after your initial semester’s domicile or your situation changes, please contact Linda Combs at 540-568-3745 or combslc@jmu.edu.  Ms. Combs handles all domicile reclassifications.

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Will Your Monthly Housing Allowance Change?

As you may know, the Monthly Housing Allowance (MHA) payments you receive for the Post-9/11 GI Bill are based on the military's Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) rates for an E-5 with dependents. The Department of Defense adjusts the military BAH rate every calendar year (or January 1) based on changes to housing costs across the country. Rates can either go up or down.

Public Law 111 - 377 (the Veterans Educational Assistance Improvement Act of 2010) amended the effective date for the adjustment of the MHA you receive under the Post-9/11 GI Bill from the beginning of the calendar year (January 1) to the beginning of the academic year (August 1).

If the BAH increased for your area, you will not see an increase until your September 2013 payment for training pursued in August. If the BAH decreases for your area, your MHA amount will not decrease unless you change schools or have more than a six-month break in training.

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 To make VA inquiries, call 1-888-442-4551, Monday-Friday, 8am - 8pm (EST).

You can also ask VA a question using the Right Now Web Inquiry. 

Additionally, students are encouraged to register and utilize My eBenefits to assist them in the following: 

  • Obtaining up-to-date information on their educational entitlement
  • Updating their direct deposit and personal contact information
  • Downloading VA letters and personal documents
  • Viewing the current status of their payments (both education and disability)

Students can register for either a Basic or Premium account but must be enrolled in the Defense Enrollment Eligiblity Reporting System (DEERS) to obtain either account type. Visit http://www.ebenefits.va.gov/ for more information.

 

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Facebook Group for JMU Veterans

Go to this link to join the group or just type in "JMU Student Veterans Association" on Facebook.

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The Office of the Registrar's VA Certifying Officials assist with the GI Bill process and serve as liaisons between: the student and Veterans Affairs; Veterans Affairs and JMU; JMU and the student; and the State Approving Agency (SAA) in Virginia and JMU.

Office Information:

Hours: Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. -4:30 p.m.
Location: Warren Hall A504
Phone : 540.568.6569 (Trudy Ham)
                               540.568.4769 (Kelly Burch)
Fax: 540.568.5615
Email either: veteran@jmu.edu
                              hamth@jmu.edu
                                 burchke@jmu.edu