Changes to Your Veterans Benefits This Year – And Why You Need to Pay Attention to Them

When colleges and universities -- and the rest of the world -- moved to remote work and learning in March 2020, many things changed. With the changes from the Responsible Education Mitigating Options and Technical Extensions, or REMOTE Act, veterans using their Post-9/11 GI Bill® were able to keep their monthly housing allowance without having to physically come to campus.

That was set to expire in December 2021; however, on the same day that it was to expire, President Biden signed the extension of the act through June 1, 2022.

What does this mean for you?

It means that you will still be able to receive your housing allowance for the San Francisco area without meeting the residency requirements through June 1. But beginning with the Summer ‘22 term, you'll need to start meeting residency requirements or go back to the online housing allowance. 

What does this mean for GGU?

GGU has worked with remote learning veterans for the last two years and has learned to provide practical, quality instruction. This extension ensures more time to figure out what's best for students and the university moving forward.

What else is changing this year?

Earlier this school year, the VA rolled out a new program requiring veterans who are getting the monthly housing allowance and/or kicker payments to verify their enrollment every month to keep receiving the payments. This verification process is in effect for the Spring 2022 term for GGU students. Students who fail to verify enrollment for two consecutive months will have their payments withheld by the VA. 

Though the VA strongly recommends text message verification, students can verify via text or email. The details and instructions are available here.

Note: This is only for those using the Post-9/11 GI Bill®️, not students of any other program. It also doesn't apply if student veterans are doing on-the-job, apprentice, or correspondence training.