For additional information on VA Education Benefits for all chapters, visit the Veteran Services website. You may also contact your campus liaison.

• Chapter 30 - Montgomery GI Bill® – Active Duty (MGIB)
• Chapter 31 - Veteran Readiness and Employment
• Chapter 33 – Post 9/11 GI Bill®
• Chapter 35 - Dependents Educational Assistance (DEA)
• Chapter 1606 - Montgomery GI Bill® – Selected Reserve

Please visit the GI Bill Website.

This link will take you to the VONAPP (Veterans Online Application) where you will apply for the following benefits. Please note the forms vary depending on the benefit you are applying for.

For Veterans wanting to use Chapters 30, 33 or 1606 fill out the VA Form 22-1990

For Survivors and Dependents Chapter 35, fill out the VA Form 22-5490

Transfer of Entitlement (Chapter 33 Post 9-11) fill out VA Form 22-1990e

For Chapter 31 Veteran Readiness and Employment fill out VA Form 28-1900

A listing of Education Benefit Payment Rates can be found on the VA website's Rate Tables.

Yes. You must complete a Request for Certification form for each semester you wish to use your VA education benefits. This form lets our Certifying Officials know you want to use your benefits and for which classes. Remember, you cannot be certified for a class if it is not required for your degree.

Yes, you can; however, there are some common problems that can occur when you turn in a request form after the deadline. For example:

1. In the event that a class is not certifiable; depending on when the paperwork is turned in, it may no longer be an option to change or adjust schedules, resulting in unpaid tuition (Chapters 31 and 33) and a reduction in monthly benefit payments.
2. Being dropped from classes for non-payment because of processing delays.
3. Payment delays may be in excess of 6-8 weeks for monthly stipends and book stipends.
4. Parent Institution letters may be delayed during peak registration.

You may request to have any class certified that fits your degree plan with Lone Star College. Please consult with your campus liaison/advisor, if you have questions.

There are certain circumstances when electives are not eligible for certification. If you ever have questions about whether a class will fit your degree plan or if it can be certified please contact your campus VA Advisor.

Absolutely! Failure to notify Veteran Services may result in either an overpayment or underpayment. Timely reporting of changes is key to avoiding debts to the VA. The sooner we are able to notify the VA of your schedule changes, the sooner they are able to adjust your benefit payments. To report changes, please complete the Change of Enrollment request form, which is located under the Forms section of our website.

Yes! A student may take courses at more than one school that apply to his or her degree. The school that will grant the degree is the student's "primary" school. All other schools are "secondary" schools.

Parent Institution Letters (PIL) are letters that are sent from a primary school to a secondary school authorizing the secondary school to certify classes the student is taking. Classes at the secondary school must fit the degree plan of the primary school or they cannot be certified. The PIL must be sent directly to the Veteran Services.

Students must pay tuition and fees by the payment deadline each term, unless tuition and fees are being paid for by Chapter 33 Post 9/11, Chapter 31 Veteran Readiness and Employment, Tuition Assistance and Financial Aid or Hazlewood exemption.

Absolutely! For more information on the different programs your VA education benefits will cover, go to the GI Bill Website. You may also email, call, stop by and chat with your VA Campus Advisor.

Yes, with the exception of Chapter 33 (Post 9/11 GI Bill®) at the 100% eligibility level or with Chapter 31 (Veteran Readiness and Employment). If you are eligible for both the Hazlewood exemption and VA education benefits under Chapters 30, 35, 1606 you may use both benefits at the same time. If you have Chapter 33 benefits at less than the 100% level, you may also use the Hazlewood exemption. For more information on the Hazlewood Act, visit the Hazlewood Act Website.

The Hazlewood Act is an exemption from the payment of tuition and most fees. There is no money changing hands with this benefit. The institution the student attends absorbs the cost of tuition and some fees for the student.

The Hazlewood Act exempts qualified students taking classes at public institutions of higher education in Texas from tuition and most fee charges.

You may qualify if…

• You are a Texas resident
• You either designated Texas as your Home of Record or entered the service in Texas
• Have at least 181 days of active military duty (sum of 12c and 12d on DD-214)
• Received an honorable discharge or separation or a general discharge under honorable conditions
• Have no federal veteran's education benefits that exceed the value of Hazlewood benefits
• Are not in default on student loans

For your convenience, we have placed a link for the Hazlewood Act Student Hours website on our Forms page. You may also reach the sign-on page via the Hazlewood Student Hours Website.

Gives students an opportunity to petition course credit for experiential learning, non-credit course completion, professional development, and licensure/certification and challenge exams.

• The student must have an Active Program Status, meaning currently accepted admission to Lone Star.
• Provide official documentation of prior learning experience (transcripts, licensure/certification, etc.).
• If applicable, meet eligibility requirements specific to the assessment option.

Student receiving benefits from Veterans Affairs (VA) must comply with VA rules and regulations. To avoid overpayment, all transcripts must be evaluated and credit(s) applied prior to certification of courses for benefits. Students are highly encouraged to have their military transcript evaluated prior to registering for classes.

• To see an at a glance list of programs with courses available for PLA
• Check your military experience against LSC courses to see possible credits that can be earned - Transferology

• The PLA application is submitted to your campus VA Advisor. They will forward your application to the team for review.

• Transcripts (schools and military), licensure/certification, DD214
• PLA application

• If your credits are approved or denied, your advisor will notify you.

Students cannot request prior learning assessment for courses attempted or previously taken.

• Attempted – Course appears on LSC or transferring institution transcript as withdrawn (W) or incomplete (I).
• Previously Taken – Course appears on LSC or transferring institution transcript with a grade.

• PLA credit may not exceed 75% of a student's certificate or associate degree coursework.
• Credit earned through PLA cannot be removed from a student's record or transcript once it has been awarded.

• Yes, your information will go through the PLA process however, this will take more time to complete.

• If you have suggestions for military experience or learning to be reviewed, submit an email to: VA-Advising@LoneStar.edu

• Other academic institutions are not obligated to accept credit earned through Lone Star College PLA. It is the student's responsibility to check with the transfer institution before pursuing the assessment process.

In order to receive college credit from military training you must submit a copy of your official military transcript, and request for an official evaluation to your campus VA Advisor.

In order to receive credit for your Physical Education requirement, please see your campus VA Advisor to fill out and submit a Prior Learning Assessment form, along with a copy of your DD-214.

When a student is completing their degree they can round out up to full time. Courses can be taken that are not required for the degree or courses that have been completed may be retaken to improve grade. Round out can be used one time per degree.

When a student repeats a course for a 3rd time the student will incur a $60 charge per credit hour ($180 for 3 credit hour courses) this charge cannot be billed to the VA and student will be responsible for the charges.