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Veterans Benefits

School Certifying Officials

Crystal R. Latimore
Assistant Registrar, Office of the Registrar
309 E Second Street Pomona, CA 91766-1854
Phone: (909) 469-5502
Fax: (909) 469-5425
E–mail: registrar@westernu.edu

Ivan Noe
Associate Vice Provost and University Registrar, Office of the Registrar
309 E 2nd Street Pomona, CA 91766-1854
Phone: (909) 469-5234
Fax: (909) 469-5425
E-mail: registrar@westernu.edu

Using your Veterans Educational Benefits at WesternU

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 also has approval from the California State Approving Agency for Veterans Education (CSAAVE).

Western University of Health Sciences participates in the Yellow Ribbon program. Eligible students will receive $2,000 per academic year from WesternU towards tuition & fee expenses that exceed the tuition and fee amounts payable under the Post 9/11 GI Bill®. GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government Web site at https://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill.

The VA will then match the $2,000 on top of what they are already paying out, per academic year. You may be eligible for the Yellow Ribbon Program benefit if you:

  • Served an aggregate period of active duty after September 10, 2001, of at least 36 months and were honorably discharged;
  • Were discharged from active duty for a service-connected disability and you served 30 continuous days after September 10, 2001; or
  • Are a dependent who received benefits transferred from an eligible Service Member

Please view the Yellow Ribbon Program for additional information on eligibility requirements.

GI Bill® Benefit Programs:

Seven College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific student were commissioned Tuesday May 17, 2022 during an Armed Forces Commissioning Ceremony and Recognition Dinner held at the Pasadena Hilton.

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 documents to the School Certifying Official:

DD214 Discharge Document or Notice of Basic Eligibility Form 2384
Certificate of Eligibility

If you have used your educational benefits at another university prior to enrolling at WesternU, please also complete and return the form listed below.

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 6-8 weeks for payment to be processed by the VA.
Change of Program/Place of Training

Your 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(es)
  • Change your address
  • Withdraw from the University
  • Repeat a course

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

Allowing Veterans to Attend or Participate in Courses Pending VA Payment

Background

Section 103 of Public Law (PL) 115-407, ‘Veterans Benefits and Transition Act of 2018,’ amends Title 38 US Code 3679 by adding a new subsection (e) that requires disapproval of courses of education, beginning August 1, 2019, at any educational institution that does not have a policy in place that will allow an individual to attend or participate in a course of education, pending VA payment, providing the individual submits a certificate of eligibility for entitlement to educational assistance under Chapter 31 or 33.

Pending Payment Compliance

In accordance with Title 38 US Code 3679(e), Western University of Health Sciences adopts the following additional provisions for any students using U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Post-9/11 G.I. Bill® (Ch. 33) or Vocational Rehabilitation & Employment (Ch. 31) benefits, while payment to the institution is pending from VA.  Western University of Health Sciences will not:

  • Prevent the student’s enrollment;
  • Assess a late penalty fee to the student;
  • Require the student to secure alternative or additional funding;
  • Deny the student access to any resources (access to classes, libraries, or other institutional facilities) available to other students who have satisfied their tuition and fee bills to the institution.

However, to qualify for this provision, such students may be required to:

  • Produce the VA Certificate of Eligibility (COE) by the first day of class;
  • Provide a written request to be certified;
  • Provide additional information needed to properly certify the enrollment as described in other institutional policies

GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

Want to know more about YOUR VA benefits?

You can now follow the Veterans Benefits Administration on Facebook , Twitter and YouTube

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”.