Call the VA Call Center at 1-888-442-4551 change your banking information.
If you receive education benefit payments from VA, you'll need to sign in to eBenefits to update your direct deposit information. You'll need your bank's routing number and account number to make the updates.
To update your direct deposit information or the address on your paper checks, you can:
Call us at 800-827-1000 (TTY: 711), or
Call us at 981-781-7550 (for international direct deposit updates), or
Go to your nearest VA regional office and change this information in person
Note: If you don’t have access to the internet or a phone, you can update your direct deposit information with Standard Form 1199a (PDF).
When your enrollment is reported, the VA will send a certificate of eligibility, explaining that your hours and base tuition has been reported. It will also explain the amount of book stipend and housing allowance to expect as well as how much entitlement you will have remaining AFTER the semester that was recently reported.
Students can also call the VA Education Office to speak with a representative that will be able to let you know how much entitlement is remaining.
Service members using Post 9/11 can log into Ebenefits to see how much entitlement they have remaining.
For CH 33:
The VA only pays for tuition and course fees. Please keep in mind all other expenses charged by Mississippi State University are the responsibility of the student. This can include:
• Housing
• Flex Dollars
• Meal Plans
• Parking Pass
For CH 35:
The VA only pays a monthly housing allowance under this entitlement. Please keep in mind all other expenses charged by Mississippi State University are the responsibility of the student. This can include:
• Tuition + Fees
• Housing
• Flex Dollars
• Meal Plans
• Parking Pass
Please keep in mind that the VA pays for number of calendar days in school for your Basic Housing Allowance. So, housing payments to Mississippi State University must either be paid up front or a payment plan should be in place. In addition, payments in August, December, January, and May will not be for a full payment. Those payments will be based on Mississippi State University’s academic calendar. For payment rates please visit the VA website.
For all chapters (applicable):
Monthly Housing Allowances will be paid on the last day of the month during the semester. No payments will be made for time that students are not in school. To calculate MHA, click here.
The VA approximates 30 days to process a claim.
| Member Serves | Percentage of Maximum Benefit Payable |
|---|---|
| At least 36 months or received a Purple Heart* | 100% |
| At least 30 continuous days on active duty and must be discharged due to service-connected disability | 100% |
| At least 30 months, but less than 36 months | 90% |
| At least 24 months, but less than 30 months | 80% |
| At least 18 months, but less than 24 months | 70% |
| At least 06 months, but less than 12 months | 60% |
| At least 90 days, but less than 06 months | 50% |
*Beginning on August 1, 2018, service members and honorably discharged Veterans who were awarded a Purple Heart on or after September 11, 2001 are rated at 100%.
- VA pays based on percentage of maximum benefit the amount of in-state tuition and mandatory in-state fees.
- This amount is reported to the VA after the 10th class date in order to give students time to add/drop courses as needed.
- It normally takes the VA three to four weeks to process payments to the school.
- Students will be responsible for the amount not covered by financial aid or VA funds, to include service fees.
- Any service fee associated with VA payments will be waivered upon receipt of VA payment.
The payment and maximum amounts listed will be prorated based on the service member’s eligibility percentage. MHA is generally the same as the military BAH for an E-5 with dependents and based on the ZIP code for your school 39762.
Payments are made by direct deposit at the end of each month. To qualify for MHA you will need to be attending school at greater than half-time.
- Monthly Housing Allowance— sent directly to the student.
- Books and Supplies Stipend—sent directly to the student.
- In-state Tuition and Mandatory In-State Fees—sent directly to Mississippi State University
Dropped courses or withdrawals need to be reported to the Center immediately, as this could affect any debt or overpayment.
Students receive a VA generated email and an award letter detailing their benefits.
If students make changes in their hours (adding or dropping classes), they should notify the Center for America’s Veterans at veterans@msstate.edu
If you withdraw during the school's drop/add period (generally the first 30 days of a term), and dropping a class changes your training time, the VA will reduce your training time and any make the pay adjustment effective on the date of your withdrawal. This may or may not result in an overpayment.
If you withdraw after the school's drop/add period the VA will reduce your training time on the beginning date of the term. This will usually result in an overpayment which can be quite large.
• For example: You are using the Post-9/11 GI Bill, get $1,500 a month housing allowance as a full-time student, and your classes cost $300 per credit hour.
Three months into the term you drop 2 classes. This will change your training from full-time to 1/2 time.
Under the Post-9/11 GI Bill you aren't entitled to the housing allowance as a 1/2-time student so you will owe the VA three months’ worth of housing allowance @ $1,500/month = $4,500
You will also owe the school six credit hours of tuition @ $300/credit hour = $1,800
Your total bill will be $6,300.
**VA considers Mississippi State University students full time when enrolled in 12 credit hours.
According to Military.com, If you are failing a class miserably, just keep taking it and finish it with a failing grade. The VA will pay you to take that class again, if it is needed for graduation. Sure, it will lower your GPA, but you might learn something that will help you get a better grade when you retake it.
The easy way to remember it is: if the class counts towards your GPA (no matter how bad the grade is) the VA will pay for it. You can take the class as many times as necessary and get paid each time. However, if you drop or withdraw from a class, the grade will not count towards your degree and in the eyes of the VA you aren't due any money for it.
The Veterans Benefits Banking Program (VBBP) provides a list of Veteran-friendly banks and credit unions that will work with you to set up an account, or help you qualify for an account, so you can use direct deposit.
To get started, call one of the participating banks or credit unions listed on the VBBP website. Be sure to mention the Veterans Benefits Banking Program.
The non-resident waiver is a benefit afforded to military-connected students who do not live in the state of Mississippi but are enrolled at Mississippi State University. In order for students to qualify, they must meet the following criteria:
• All eligible students must complete the non-resident waiver application
• For veterans or those leaving the guard, wanting to use the benefit for themselves, must have an honorable discharge and either a DD-214, Honorable Discharge Certificate, or NGB22 to authenticate such.
• For dependents wanting to use the benefit, a parent or legal guardian must have an honorable discharge and either a DD-214 or Honorable Discharge Certificate to authenticate such.
• Active duty members or dependents of active duty service members will have to provide current orders, copy of Military ID or dependent status verification
The non-resident or out of state tuition waiver waives 100% of out of state tuition fees ONLY for those eligible, for the entire time that an eligible student is enrolled at Mississippi State University.
• The waiver is not GPA driven, meaning you do not have to maintain a minimum GPA to keep it.
• Even if a student is not enrolled full-time, the waiver will still take care of the portion of out of state tuition charged.
• If out of state tuition costs increase, so will the coverage of the out of state waiver.
• There is not a semester cap for the use of the waiver.
• The waiver can be extended to graduate school.
• Online students do not qualify for the out of state tuition waiver because they are not charged out of state fees.
• Waiver recipients cannot use the waiver combined with another out of state benefit/scholarship.
• Veterinary Medicine students must follow The Choice Act as it relates to the out of state tuition waiver. The Center for America’s Veterans is the clearinghouse for the Vet School.
An email is sent prior to academic advising, notifying you to pick up a Verification of Enrollment form at the Center for America’s Veterans. This form must be taken to your academic advising appointment to be signed both by you and your advisor.
School Certifying Officials report student enrollment for:
1. Spring term (Jan-May): beginning in November
2. Fall term (Aug.-Dec): beginning in June
3. Summer term (May-July): beginning in May
*Reporting enrollment during these times allows the VA to process and have book stipends (if applicable) ready to be sent approximately 2 weeks before classes start.
*Students who submit paperwork late may not receive book stipends or monthly housing (paid the last day of every month) on time.
VA pays your books/supplies stipend normally 14 days before start of term or semester.
• The books/supplies stipend is paid based on the service member’s eligibility percentage and hours enrolled.
• The current rate is $41.67 per credit hour, paid based on individual eligibility percentage. The maximum amount paid per year is $1000.00.
Example: Joe (veteran) transferred his dependent Joe Jr. Post 9/11 benefits. The eligibility rating is 80%. As a full-time student, Jr. will receive a maximum book stipend of $800 for the academic year.
Payments are prorated based on the number of days in the month that you are in classes. Your benefit stops the day classes’ end.