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MGIB Chapter 1607 (REAP)

Montgomery G.I. Bill Chapter 1607 provides up to 36 months of education assistance to members of the Selected Reserves, Individual Ready Reserve (IRR), and the National Guard, who are called or ordered to active duty for 90 days or more in response to a war or national emergency.

For more information about Chapter 1607 benefits, please visit the Veterans Affairs website or contact VA at 1-888-442-4551.

Current Chapter 1607 Rates

***Attention***: Receiving VA Benefits does not automatically qualify a servicemember/veteran for in-state tuition. There are certain requirements that must be met.  Please direct any questions to Admissions at 540-568-5681 if you are a prospective/in-coming student or contact Linda Combs in the Business Office at 540-568-3745 or combslc@jmu.edu if you are a current student (for reclassification). 

**Update on Interval/Break Pay** - Effective August 1, 2011, break/interval pay is NO longer payable under any VA education benefit unless under an Executive Order of the President or due to an emergency situation such as a natural diaster or strike. 

If you are requesting Chapter 1607 benefits for the first time

Application Process: Eligibility for benefits begins with the "one-time only" application

Complete and submit online: VA Form 22-1990, Application for VA Education Benefits, through the VONAPP website.

  • Watch for: Letter of Eligibility or denial letter from VA within 12 weeks after submission of application.  Any questions about the content of either letter should be directed to the Veterans Affairs Office at 1-888-442-4551.

Before contacting the VA Certifying Official at JMU, the service member must have been accepted as a student by JMU and paid the required admissions deposit.  You do not need to wait to receive your Certificate of Eligibility from VA before contacting the JMU Certifying Official.

Trudy Ham
VA Certifying Official
Office of the Registrar - Warren 504
540-568-6569
hamth@jmu.edu

At your initial meeting with a JMU VA Certifying Official, please bring the following:

  • Certificate of Eligibility (or copy of 22-1990 application if CoE has not arrived in the mail)
  • DD214 Member 4 Copy
  • Kicker Contract (if applicable)
  • DD-2384, Notice of Basic Eligibility (NOBE) (available from your unit commander)
  • Military or Institution of Higher Learning (IHL) transcript (if you've taken classes at another college)
  • JMU form, Request for Veterans Educational Benefits 

Important: In order for a course to be included in an enrollment to VA, it must meet major, minor, general education, allowed elective, or degree requierements for graduation, or an approved certificate or teacher licensure program to qualify.

All majors and minors must be declared on your transcript.

The JMU Request for Veterans Educational Benefits form is required every semester benfits are requested.  After your initial 1st semester using your VA Benefits, the JMU form will be emailed to you after registration for the upcoming semester.  It will require your major advisor to initial and sign for any course needed for your major.  No approval is needed for courses outside your major (general education, degree, minors, preps, etc)

If you have previously received MGIB Chapter 1607 benefits while attending JMU

  • If you wish to request benefits for an upcoming semester or session, you will need to complete the JMU form and submit it to one of the VA Certifying Officials.  It will be emailed to you during registration and requires an advisor signature for any course needed for your major
  • If you've made changes to your JMU career (such as going from undergraduate to graduate), you will also need to complete VA Form 22-1995, Request for Change of Program or Place of Training.

If you are receiving  MGIB Chapter 1607 benefits at a college or university other than JMU

If you have received Chapter 1607 benefits at another college or university, you will need to provide:

What happens after I submit the requested forms to the VA Certifying Official?

  • JMU's VA Certifying Official will process a student's request for benefits and within 5-8 weeks, VA will generate and mail an active award benefit letter to the student. 
  • After receiving this letter, the student must CERTIFY school attendance in either VA's Web Automated Verification of Enrollment (W.A.V.E.) online system or by phone at 877-823-2378 to release VA payments.  Certifying attendance, after the initial period, MUST be completed on the last calendar day of every month that the student attends classes. 
  • Failure to do so will result in a delay of payment for the classes attended the month before.