If you need assistance with your application, call the VA main information line at 800-698-2411 (TTY: 711), available 24/7.
2. Register for classes at Appalachian as soon as your class enrollment timeslot opens.
Once you have applied and been accepted to Appalachian, follow the enrollment steps to secure your spot in your MyMountaineer Portal.
Choosing an orientation date and meeting with an academic advisor will be your next steps after completing all your enrollment steps in the MyMountaineer Portal. Once you meet with an academic advisor, you'll receive information on how to register for classes.
3. Send a copy of your Certificate of Eligibility with your Student ID number and semester of entry to studentveteranservices@appstate.edu.
The VA will mail your Certificate of Eligibility between 30-45 days after you submit an application. Our office does not receive information directly from the VA about if you have benefits or have a Certificate of Eligibility, so you will need to email us a copy.
You can find your Student ID number in AppalNet, your online information hub once you are admitted and accept that you are coming to Appalachian. You can also call Admissions at 828-262-2120 for help.
4. Once we have received your Certificate of Eligibility, we will alert you to the opening of your Enrollment Datasheet.
We will send you your first enrollment datasheet once you send us your COE. At the end of each semester, our office will send emails about filling out a datasheet for the next semester.
The form, called an enrollment datasheet, is very important to fill out each semester. It acts as a permission form for our office to send information about you to the VA, and protects your class schedule from cancellation and makes sure you don't get late fees. If our office doesn't receive an enrollment datasheet, we don't submit that you are a student at Appalachian to the VA.
Datasheets have a by-semester deadline decided by our staff based on the university calendar and on-time payment processing recommendations by the VA. You'll receive multiple emails with the deadline and reminders from our general inbox (studentveteranservices@appstate.edu) before we cancel a datasheet for no response. Sometimes our emails are considered spam, so check your spam folder.
5. Complete your FAFSA.
Even if your/your families' income doesn't qualify you for federal aid, a FAFSA opens opportunities for university- or state-specific grants. If you need assistance with filing a FAFSA, reach out to us or to the Office of Financial Aid.
Chapter 35 benefits generally do not affect FAFSA eligibility, as they are paid directly to the student as a tax-free stipend, not to the school, and are not considered financial aid. You do not need to report Chapter 35 benefits on the FAFSA, and they generally do not reduce the student's eligibility for federal grants or loans.
Non-education VA benefits, such as Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC), do need to be reported as untaxed income.
6. If you have private insurance (TriCare®, BCBS, etc.), complete a medical insurance waiver.
Appalachian requires that every student have some form of health insurance. If a student does not have health insurance privately or through their parents, they can choose the student health insurance plan provided by the university.
If you have a private health insurance like TriCare®, Blue Cross Blue Shield®, Aetna®, etc., you can complete a medical insurance waiver to void the automatic insurance charge to your bill. This will need to be done each semester.
7. If you are not already considered for in-state tuition, you are able to submit an in-state tuition appeal.
In-state tuition can only be considered if the student plans to relocate physically to North Carolina for their degree program, including for ASU Online and Flight Path.
You can find the required documents to file a tuition appeal and who to send it to in our VA Benefits FAQs page.
8. Set up a required payment plan with Student Accounts.
Because Chapter 35 is a monthly stipend and there is nothing sent to the school directly, you must follow the same protocol as all students in regards to setting up a payment plan. Signing up for a payment plan will also make sure you do not receive any registration holds (meaning you won't be able to register for classes for the upcoming semester) for non-payment.
To protect yourself from registration holds, learn about and sign up for a payment plan with Student Accounts.
9. Meet with our office!
Student Veteran Services says veteran in the title, but we are open to everyone. Also - all of our staff are AppState alumni! If you need assistance in finding a resource, want to understand the process of how benefits are paid, how information is sent to the VA, or even where the best off-campus housing is, we are open and happy to help.
You can call, email, ask to set-up a Zoom call, or come by our office in person in the Student Union. For Summer 2026, we also have drop-in virtual hours twice a week to talk face-to-face (virtually, of course) to one of our staff members. You can find the days, times, and Zoom links on our main page.
Enrollment Datasheets
An enrollment datasheet will protect you from schedule cancellation and late fees, but it will not protect you from registration holds for non-payment with Student Accounts. All charges with the university need to be paid by the day registration for the following semester begins. Our office cannot lift registration holds that have been placed by Student Accounts.
Coverage and Payments
Monthly stipends are able to be applied to whatever university expenses that can be applied. This includes tuition, fees, housing, meal plans, etc. There are no direct payments made to the university. Monthly payments are always one month behind per the VA's schedule.
For monthly stipend payments to be processed, Chapter 35 students must provide a enrollment verification at the end of each month with the VA separate from the university's enrollment as of January 2026. To verify enrollment, log in to VSE/Verify Your School Enrollment or opt-in to text reminders when you start using your benefits. Instead of using the website or text, you may choose to call the VA at 888-442-4551. If an enrollment verification to the VA is not sent directly by the student each month, the VA will withhold payments until they receive a verification from the student.
Monthly stipends are deposited directly to the bank account on file with the VA. Monthly stipend amounts are dependent on distance education courses taken, part-time or full-time status.
Changes to Courses or Schedules
If you withdraw from a course and fall below 12 credit hours (or any withdraw if you are below 12 credit hours to start) and do not alert our office that you have withdrawn, you may owe funds back that the VA has paid you.
The longer you do not let us know, the more debt may be accumulated from combined monthly payments.
Our office strongly encourages meeting with us first before withdrawing from a course, multiple courses, or the overall school to understand how those withdrawals may affect your benefits.
How do I know if I've been verified for benefits for the semester?
You will receive an automated email from the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) verifying that your enrollment has been certified to your AppState email. Please review your email inbox before reaching out to Student Veteran Services. If you have discrepancies or some classes cannot be certified, an Office of Financial Aid representative will alert you to these discrepancies.
How long does it take to process benefits to the VA?
Processing benefits is a multi-step process. Our office will start processing benefits for Fall semesters in August, in January for Spring semesters, and between May and June for Summer Sessions. Depending on the complexity of the certification (new student, multiple majors and minors, transfer credit from other institutions, being waitlisted on classes, etc.), it can take anywhere from 15 to 30 business days for your benefits to process to the VA from our office. If you submit your enrollment datasheets or certificate of eligibility late, it could be longer.
I’m getting emails from the Office of Financial Aid saying I will get late fees if I don’t pay. What do I do?
The Office of Financial Aid sends automated emails to all students with a balance on their account. If you file an enrollment datasheet, your schedule is automatically protected from late fees and schedule cancellation. Chapter 35 students MUST set up a payment plan before or right as the semester starts, but your benefits protect you from cancellation and fees.
How do I continue my enrollment for ChampVA health insurance?
Fill out a CHAMPVA School Enrollment Certification Letter and send to the Office of the Registrar at registrar@appstate.edu. Student Veteran Services as an office does not verify or enroll students for ChampVA.
What are the current rates for Chapter 35's monthly payments?
The VA will pay you up to the rate listed here based on how many courses you’re taking:
Full-time enrollment: $1,574.00 for each full month
3/4-time enrollment: $1,244.00 for each full month
If you’re enrolled 1/2 time or less, view Chapter 35 rates at va.gov.
Rates are currently from October 1, 2025 to September 30, 2026.
