Appendix J - Certification Instructions for the Veterans Tuition Award Program

Students must complete the New York State Veterans Tuition Award Supplement on HescWeb to establish eligibility. Students must sign the online Web Supplement Confirmation page, and upload the required documentation according to the instructions. The requirement for establishing eligibility needs to be met once, at the onset of the student’s application for the VTA. Students previously approved for this award must apply for payment each year. 
 

Undergraduate and Graduate Full-time & Part-time Study – Once VTA eligibility has been established, students are required to apply for the New York State Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) each academic year they seek payment of a VTA award. The VTA award will be processed through the TAP system and sent to the school indicated on the TAP application. Eligible students may apply for TAP by doing one of the following:

• Apply online by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) the form used by NYS colleges, universities and vocational schools for awarding federal student aid and most state and college aid, and then link to the NYS Payment/TAP on the Web application Applicants who miss the link to the TAP application should wait three days before signing in and completing the TAP/NYS Payment application.

All applications must be completed by June 30 of the academic year for which an award is sought.

Students must meet VTA eligibility requirements and be enrolled in an approved program* and:

• Be taking at least twelve (12) credits per semester (eight credits per trimester) or the equivalent for full-time attendance at a degree granting institution.
• Be taking at least three (3), but fewer than twelve (12) credits per semester (at least two, but fewer than eight per trimester), or the equivalent, for part-time attendance at a degree granting institution.
• Be enrolled in a non-credit vocational training program of at least 320 clock hours specifically approved by the New York State Division of Veteran's Services Bureau of Veterans Education.

*Associate, bachelor’s, master’s degree and eligible certificate programs are approved by SED’s Office of College and University Evaluation (OCUE). Vocational programs are approved by SED’s Bureau of Proprietary School Supervision (BPSS). Only approved programs are eligible for the VTA award.
 

A maximum of 4 years (8 full-time semesters) total for all students including both undergraduate and graduate study.

Dependent on Length of Program

• Undergraduate Study
  • Full-time students: 4 years (8 semesters) or 5 years (10 semesters) if enrolled in an approved 5-year program
  • Part-time students: Duration is prorated based on the number of credits taken each semester. Part-time students cannot exceed the equivalent of 8 semesters of full-time enrollment for 4-year programs or 10 semesters of full-time enrollment for approved 5-year programs.
• Graduate Degree
  • 3 years (6 semesters) of graduate study for full-time students, or the part-time equivalent of 3 years of full-time
• For Vocational Training Programs
  • Up to 2 years (4 semesters) of study in an approved vocational training program for full-time students

Note: The VTA is not limited to 36 points at a two year school.

Full-time Study - A recipient shall receive an award of up to the full cost of undergraduate tuition for New York State residents at the State University of New York, or actual tuition charged, whichever is less. (If a Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) award is also received, the combined academic year award cannot exceed tuition. The TAP award may be reduced accordingly). Part-time Study - Awards will be prorated by credit hour. (If a Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) award is also received, the combined academic year award cannot exceed tuition. The TAP award may be reduced accordingly).

Vocational Study – Awards can be up to the full-time amount for BPSS approved 900 clock hour programs and prorated for programs under 900 clock hours (minimum of 320 clock hours is required). Vocational school must use the clock hour to credit hour conversion indicated by their accrediting agency per SED’s BPSS office.

Veterans Tuition Awards appear on a TAP Payment Roster and are initially calculated with a full-time VTA and, if eligible, a full-time TAP award. The VTA should be certified in the same manner as a TAP roster. For detailed eligibility and certification instructions refer to Chapter 5: Certification Procedures. 
 

The Veterans Tuition Award for part-time study will be prorated by credit hour. Part-time study for veterans is defined as at least three but fewer than twelve credits per semester (at least two, but fewer than eight per trimester) or the equivalent at a degree-granting institution. As with Part-time TAP, Part-time VTA (PT-VTA) awards are recalculated after a school identifies part-time students when certifying the roster. The full-time tuition on the roster must be changed to reflect the student’s actual term tuition liability when certifying PT-VTA or when recertifying a student previously certified as part-time. The PT-VTA is calculated using the student's actual part-time tuition charge and the number of credits. As with a full-time VTA the PT-VTA cannot exceed tuition charges. Do not certify with an enrollment status of HT or PT.

Vocational schools will report on the converted credit hours and the tuition portion of the student’s cost of attendance when submitting a certification to HESC.

Accelerated Study Requirements for accelerated study apply to all full-time study scholarships that do not allow for part-time study. The Veteran's Tuition Award is not affected by the accelerated study requirements. Because the VTA recipient is not following accelerated study

requirements, the term length for the additional term (e.g. summer) must meet the term length requirement for State aid (e.g. 15 weeks at a semester-based school). Students using additional payments of VTA in an academic year will used up their eligibility sooner.

Certification via HescWeb 
The HescWeb screens for STUDENT RECORD MAINTENANCE, VIEW/SUBMIT PENDING CERTIFICATION, and VIEW/ CORRECT STUDENT CERTIFICATION may be used to certify both full-time and part-time students. The screens have been modified to allow the reporting of the number of credits for part-time study. The Enrollment Status field drop down list provides valid credits. The Web screens are intuitive, allowing only eligible schools to certify PT-VTA students. 

Note: When using the HescWeb screens to certify PT-VTA:

• The actual term tuition liability must be reported in the TUITION field.
• The number of credits for part-time study must be reported in the ENROLLMENT STATUS field. Half credits should be rounded down.

Certification via File Transfer (use HESC’s EFAN layout available on HescWeb in the Transaction Processing center in Forms & Bulletins, TAP School EFAN layouts/Message Codes):

• Enter the actual term tuition liability in the Tuition field (35/6,2)
• Enter the number of credits in the Enrollment Status field (33/2). Valid entries for semester schools: 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, and 11. Valid entries for trimester/quarter schools: 03, 04, 05, 06, and 07.

Certification Codes
Certification codes 1 through 3 are valid codes used when certifying a part-time award. Do not use certification code 5 (Not full-time), as it is a decertification code and will not result in an award. 
 

Tuition payments received by a veteran under the Chapter 33 Program Yellow Ribbon component and other veterans tuition benefits will be considered duplicative of any VTA and/or TAP award the student may have received. However, payments received under the Montgomery GI bill do not duplicate the purpose of the VTA and/or TAP. 

The combined tuition benefits available to a student cannot exceed the student’s actual tuition liability. Students attending high tuition schools may be eligible to receive both the Federal and State benefits. Additionally, a student whose “Percentage of Maximum Benefit Payable” under the Chapter 33 Program is less than 100% and students continuing to receive benefits under the Montgomery GI Bill may also receive both Federal and State benefits.

Select Post-911 GI Bill (Chapter 33) Federal Guidelines, to view the maximum in-state tuition and fees for New York State. Certain students may be eligible for increased benefits ("grandfathered students") while attending private NYS institutions. 

Roster Certification of State Programs for Chapter 33 Recipients:

• If the student's Chapter 33 "Percentage of Maximum Benefit Payable" is at the 100% level and completely covers the student's tuition, a certification code of "9" (decertified for miscellaneous reason) should be entered on the certification transaction.
• If the student's Chapter 33 "Percentage of Maximum Benefit Payable" is at less than the 100% level and only partially covers the student's tuition, a certification code of "1" (eligible) should be entered on the certification transaction and the amount of the duplicative federal benefit should be entered in the "Other Benefits" field.

To determine the amount of the duplicative federal benefit, multiply the actual term tuition by the student’s "Percentage of Maximum Benefit Payable" under the chapter 33 program. 

Example: the actual term tuition is $3,535 and the student's "percentage of maximum benefit payable" is 70%.

 

In this example $2,474.50 is the amount that should be entered in the "Other Benefits" field on the certification transaction.
 

For example, a student has a TAP award and a VTA but wishes to decline the TAP award
or the student meets the eligibility criteria for a part-time VTA but does not meet the eligibility criteria for a part-time TAP award. 

To Certify No TAP/VTA only for a student with a TAP award, who is not receiving Chapter 33 federal benefits: enter an amount equal to the difference between the tuition and the VTA award in the “Other Benefits” field. 
To Certify No TAP/VTA only for a student with a TAP award who is receiving Chapter 33 federal benefits: Enter an amount in the “Other Benefits” field as determined below:

Determine an adjusted tuition amount by subtracting the amount of the federal benefit from the actual term tuition. 

A) If the combination of the VTA award and federal benefit equals or is greater than the adjusted tuition amount, enter the federal benefit amount in the "Other Benefits" field.

B) If the combination of the VTA award and federal benefit is less than the actual term tuition amount, take the difference between the adjusted tuition amount and the VTA award and add to the federal benefit and enter the result in the "Other Benefits" field.

Example for B:

 

Once certification is submitted, HESC will calculate the PT-VTA based on the reported credits and actual tuition liability. The Remittance Advice and Student Status List will reflect the new award. 
 

Semester Schools
Partial VTA payment will be made for students taking 3-11 credits as shown below:

Trimester Schools
Partial VTA payment will be made for students taking 3-7 credits as shown below:

Note: VTA recipients who meet all other certification requirements, but are taking only two credits in a term at a trimester-based school, will require special processing. Contact the HESC Scholarship Unit for instructions regarding the certification of these students.