Veterans Services
Message from the Veterans Benefits Administration:
From the beginning of COVID-19, we have been working with Congress to preserve GI Bill® benefits for those impacted by COVID-19. In the Spring of 2020, the President signed Public Law 116-128, then Public Law 116-140 (Student Veteran Coronavirus Response Act of 2020). These laws give VA temporary authority to pay education benefits and Monthly Housing Allowance (MHA) payments to GI Bill students at the resident rate when their programs are converted to online learning solely due to COVID-19 until December 21, 2021. Originally, these special COVID-19 laws were in effect from March 1 to December 21, 2020. However, in the fall of 2020, PL 116-154 extended
special COVID-19 rules until December 21, 2021.
These laws cover situations where 1) your school is combining online with resident training or 2) where your school is offering the student the option to choose online training in lieu of resident (physically in person) training. Additionally, VA will afford these same protections to new incoming students. While there is no requirement that a student have a previous history of taking resident courses, that student must be enrolled in an officially “converted course” (a course which your school previously offered as resident training prior to COVID-19, but is now offering as online training due to COVID-19). SCOs should continue to certify converted courses in the same manner as they were certified earlier in the year. For specific guidance on how to certify converted courses, please read the FAQs below or contact your Education Liaison Representative (ELR).
What does this all mean? In summary, Post-9/11 GI Bill® students enrolled in approved resident (physically in person) courses at a rate of pursuit of more than 50%, which have been converted to online learning solely due to COVID-19,
will continue to receive benefits, including Monthly Housing Allowance, at the resident rate until December 21, 2021, or until the school resumes normal operations of resident training, whichever comes first.
For more information, you can go to US Department VA covid19 faqs website.
If you have any questions that the Veterans Services can assist you with, please contact our office at
uhdveteransservices@uhd.edu, as our office is working remotely until further notice. |
Welcome to the University of Houston-Downtown. UHD Veterans Services assists veterans, reservists, guardsmen, and dependents of disabled or deceased veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces.
Over 500 veterans are currently pursuing a degree at UHD. Veterans Services ensures that proper paperwork is completed, certified, and filed with the Department of Veterans Affairs so that payment of education benefits can begin. Veterans Services does not, however, determine eligibility for benefits.
Before receiving approval of your benefits please click the
Request VA Certification link to ensure your certification is done in a timely manner.
