VA and Military FAQs
Each branch of the service has its own application process, forms, and benefits. Please visit the Military Tuition Assistance page for details.
Harvard Kennedy School Executive Education has several programs eligible for use with VA benefits. A full listing can be found on WEAMS under Harvard’s NCD courses. All other executive education and professional education programs are ineligible. For further information about Harvard Kennedy School Executive Education programs, please contact their office directly via exed@hks.harvard.edu or 617-496-9000.
The VA reports a typical turn-around time of 30 days between certification and payment. In our experience, that time-line can vary. Some tuition payments are received in less than a week, some take several months. It can depend on the time of year and whether the certification was pulled for manual processing (which may happen if there’s a question about the cert or if a revision is submitted.)
It is our understanding that BAH payments begin roughly 30 days from the cert date, but not before the start of term. BAH payments, if sent after the start of term, should be retroactive to the first day of enrollment.
Students who are utilizing VA benefits, with the exception of students utilizing VR&E (Chapter 31), will see their certification data in my.Harvard once the School Certifying Official (SCO) has submitted data for a given term to the VA. When viewing your student account in my.Harvard, scroll to the bottom of the page. Once you’ve been certified, you’ll see the following:
Harvard University submits two certifications to the VA – The first is simply the dates of enrollment and the expected enrollment level to ensure students receive their BAH in a timely manner. The second is submitted after add/drop for the term and corrects the enrollment level, if necessary, and indicates the tuition and required fees for the term. This is what triggers payment for CH33 to Harvard University. Students utilizing Chapter 31 will see their information under Third-Party Billing details. Invoices for Chapter 31 are sent to VA counselors once the add/drop period for the term has passed.
Students who are receiving CH33 will be contacted by the VA each month to verify their enrollment once certification is submitted. If you fail to respond for two consecutive months, your BAH will be suspended by the VA. If you are unable to maintain your enrollment and require a LOA or withdrawal, please notify your registrar and financial aid office as soon as possible.
The children of Active Duty service members (who are using the parent/guardian’s ch33 benefit) have the same eligibility as a non-AD service member – if you are deemed 100% eligible for ch33, you are also eligible for YRP. You would also be eligible for BAH payments, assuming you meet the general enrollment requirements for BAH (more than half-time).
Your BAH payment is pro-rated to match your % eligibility for CH33 funding. Students attending half-time or less or students using the benefit while on Active Duty (or spouses using the transferred benefit while their spouse is on Active Duty) are not eligible to receive BAH payments through their CH33 benefit.
Your BAH is also based on your enrollment. If a term begins mid-month, you will receive a pro-rated BAH payment for the days you were enrolled.