Chapter 35: Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational Assistance

Western University of Health Sciences has approval from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to certify students eligible to receive VA educational benefits. The School Certifying Officials that are located on the Pomona, California campus assist all students who receive VA educational benefits. We cannot assist you with determining your eligibility for benefits. To determine if you are eligible, please contact the Department of Veterans Affairs directly.

Western University of Health Sciences (Pomona, CA) has approval from the California State Approving Agency for Veterans Education (CSAAVE) and Western University of Health Sciences (Lebanon, OR) has approval from the Approving Agency for Veterans Education (ODVASAA).

This page is dedicated to students using Ch. 35 Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational Assistance at WesternU. If you’re the child or spouse of a Veteran or service member who has died, is captured or missing, or is permanently and totally disabled due to a service-connected disability, you may be eligible for the Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational Assistance (DEA) program.

More information on education and training benefits through Ch. 35 can be found on the following website: Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational Assistance Information

You may be eligible for these benefits if both you and the Veteran or service member meet certain eligibility requirements. One of these descriptions must be true for the Veteran or service member:

• The Veteran is permanently and totally disabled due to a service-connected disability, or
• The Veteran died as a result of a service-connected disability, or
• The service member died in the line of duty, or
• The service member is missing in action or was captured in the line of duty by a hostile force for more than 90 days, or
• The service member was forcibly detained (held) or interned in the line of duty by a foreign entity for more than 90 days, or
• The service member is in the hospital or getting outpatient treatment for a service-connected permanent and total disability and is likely to be discharged for that disability

New Students

Welcome to WesternU! We look forward to working with you to ensure smooth processing of your VA educational benefits. Please see below for next steps:

• Please note that we cannot waive your admission deposit. Students utilizing Chapter 35 benefits will be required to pay their admission deposit.
• Complete class registration by submitting the appropriate placeholder code for your program during fall registration. If you have questions regarding registration, please contact the Office of the Registrar, registrar@westernu.edu, or 909-469-5491.
• Health insurance coverage is required for all full-time WesternU students. If you will not be utilizing the university-sponsored Aetna Student Health Insurance plan, please submit a waiver by the posted deadline (more information can be found on the Office of the Registrar’s website). If you wish to be enrolled in the Aetna Student Health insurance plan through WesternU, your premium will be covered via VA funding.
• Complete required immunization requirements. Failure to complete this will result in a registration hold, which may lead to registration late fees.

What to Expect

• VA Certifications through Enrollment Manager for the academic year are submitted on a rolling basis, consistent with your program’s registration periods.
• You will receive an email from the VA when your certification has been submitted.
• The very first subsistence allowance from the VA may take up to two months to deposit into your account and then it will come regularly at the beginning of each month. Please plan accordingly.

Tuition and Fees

• Chapter 35 benefits are paid directly to the eligible dependent (child or spouse) of a qualifying veteran or service member.
• The VA pays these benefits monthly, and the payments are considered “in-arrears,” meaning they are paid at the beginning of the month following the month of training.
• Payments are typically made via direct deposit, and the VA may also offer the option of receiving payments by check.
• To continue receiving benefits, the dependent must self-verify their school enrollment each month.
• The VA does not send Chapter 35 funding to WesternU for tuition & fees. It is the student’s responsibility to settle their student account by the posted tuition & fee deadline for their program

Getting Started

• If you have received a notification from the Department of Veterans Affairs that you are eligible to receive educational benefits, submit the following document to the School Certifying Official: Certificate of Eligibility
• If you have used your educational benefits at another university prior to enrolling at WesternU, please also complete and submit the following request to the Department of Veterans Affairs: Change of Program/Place of Training
• Once you have submitted the appropriate documents to the School Certifying Official and have registered for classes, your certification of enrollment will be submitted to the VA electronically. Please allow at least 4-6 weeks for your benefits to be processed by the VA. Questions regarding this process can be directed to our school certifying official, Crystal Latimore, at clatimore@westernu.edu

Student Responsibilities

• In order to comply with the laws governing the Department of Veterans Affairs benefits, it is your responsibility as a student to notify the School Certifying Official of any change in status with the University, which may include when you:

• • Add or drop a class or classes
  • Break enrollment due to an LOA or Suspension
  • Withdraw from the University
  • Repeat a course

• Only courses that are required for your degree program are eligible for certification.

Western University of Health Sciences has agreed to the Executive Order 13607. “Principles of Excellence for Educational Institutions Serving Service Members, Veterans, Spouses, and Other Family Members”.