Veteran Benefits

Veterans admitted to IIT through Undergraduate or Graduate Admissions may be eligible for VA benefits. Based on the student status, new or continuing, the steps to successfully process VA benefits are listed below.

First Time Applicant (New Students)
To process VA benefits for the first semester you attend IIT, you need to complete the following steps:

1. Apply to the Illinois Institute of Technology and be accepted as a degree-seeking student.
2. Apply for your Certificate of Eligibility with the Department of Veterans Affairs. For more information, please visit the Department of Veterans Affairs website.
3. Obtain a copy of your DD214 letter.
4. Complete the following VA form here confirming you want to process benefits:
   Veteran Benefit Process Application.
5. Once you receive your Certificate of Eligibility and DD214 from the VA, you may e-mail your certificate and discharge paperwork to veterans@iit.edu. You may also deliver the certificate to:
   
   Melisa Lopez
   Illinois Institute of Technology
   One Stop Office
   3201 South State Street
   MTCC, 106
   Chicago, IL 60616

If you have any questions regarding this program or your eligibility, please contact the One Stop Office at 312.567.3810 directly.

Renewal Benefits (Continuing Students)
Every semester, you need to submit an e-mail to veterans@iit.edu  requesting to process your benefits. You should complete the following steps before sending the e-mail:

• Contact the VA to determine benefit eligibility you have remaining. You can view your benefits here:
  https://www.ebenefits.va.gov/ebenefits-portal/ebenefits.portal.

• Obtain most recent award letter from the Department of Veteran Affairs listing your remaining available benefits.  Submit this form to veterans@iit.edu.

• Complete the following VA form here confirming you want to process benefits: Veteran Benefit Process Application.

If you have any questions regarding this program or your eligibility, please contact the One Stop at 312.567.3810 directly.

Students eligible for the Montgomery GI Bill, either active duty (Chapter 30) or selected reserve (Chapter 1606) are eligible to process Veteran's Benefits at IIT. Students need to be accepted by IIT and cleared by the Department of Veterans Affairs before receiving benefits. Paperwork needs to be filled out in the Registrar's Office at IIT's Main Campus to initiate the process for obtaining VA tuition benefits.

Montgomery GI Bill Active Duty (Chapter 30)
The MGIB program provides up to 36 months of education benefits. This benefit may be used for degree and certificate programs, flight training, apprenticeship/on-the-job training and correspondence courses. Remedial, deficiency, and refresher courses may be approved under certain circumstances. Generally, benefits are payable for 10 years following your release from active duty. This program is also commonly known as Chapter 30. More information for this benefit can be found on the VA web site here:
http://www.gibill.va.gov/benefits/montgomery_gibill/active_duty.html.
Montgomery GI Bill Selected Reserve (Chapter 1606)
The MGIB-SR program may be available to you if you are a member of the Selected Reserve. The Selected Reserve includes the Army Reserve, Navy Reserve, Air Force Reserve, Marine Corps Reserve and Coast Guard Reserve, and the Army National Guard and the Air National Guard.You may use this education assistance program for degree programs, certificate or correspondence courses, cooperative training, independent study programs, apprenticeship/on-the-job training, and vocational flight training programs. Remedial, refresher and deficiency training are available under certain circumstances. Eligibility for this program is determined by the Selected Reserve components. VA makes the payments for this program.You may be entitled to receive up to 36 months of education benefits. Your eligibility for the program normally ends on the day you leave the Selected Reserve. For more information on this benefit, please visit the VA web site: http://www.gibill.va.gov/benefits/montgomery_gibill/selected_reserve.html.

The Illinois Institute of Technology is pleased to participate in the Department of Veteran Affairs' Yellow Ribbon Program. As a benefit of this program, eligible military veterans can attend the Illinois Institute of Technology at little to no out-of-pocket tuition cost. Both undergraduates and graduate (full-time and part-time) students are eligible to participate in the Yellow Ribbon Program.

Yellow Ribbon Eligibility Requirements
Only individuals entitled to the maximum benefit rate (based on service requirements) may receive this funding. Therefore, you may be eligible if:

• You served an aggregate period of active duty after September 10, 2001, of at least 36 months;
• You were honorably discharged from active duty for a service connected disability and you served 30 continuous days after September 10, 2001;
• You are a dependent eligible for Transfer of Entitlement under the Post-9/11 GI Bill based on a veteran's service under the eligibility criteria listed above.

For the 2011-2012 academic year, IIT had seventeen students who participate in the Yellow Ribbon Program.

Official Department of Defense transferability application web site (non-VA Link, Internet Explorer only).

Upon approval, family members may apply to use transferred benefits with VA by completing VA Form 22-1990e. VA Form 22-1990e should only be completed and submitted to VA by the family member after Department of Defense has approved the request for TEB. Do not use VA Form 22-1990e to apply for TEB.

VEAP is available if you elected to make contributions from your military pay to participate in this education benefit program. Your contributions are matched on a $2 for $1 basis by the Government. You may use these benefits for degree, certificate, correspondence, apprenticeship/on-the-job training programs, and vocational flight training programs. In certain circumstances, remedial, deficiency, and refresher training may also be available.

Benefit entitlement is 1 to 36 months depending on the number of monthly contributions. You have 10 years from your release from active duty to use VEAP benefits. If there is entitlement not used after the 10-year period, your portion remaining in the fund will be automatically refunded.

For more information on the VEAP program, please visit the Department of Veterans Affairs web site:
http://www.gibill.va.gov/post-911/other-programs/veap.html.

A veteran student who qualifies for VA educational benefits will have all VA benefits applied to the student account in accordance with the rules established by the Department of Veteran Affairs and the Department of Education.

The guidelines for award adjustments include, but are not limited to, the following:

The receipt of VA educational benefits (including but not limited to Chapter 33) may result in an adjustment of previously awarded general institutional scholarships so that this limited funding can be awarded to as many students as possible.  Adjustments of institutional scholarships are made upon the certification of VA tuition and fee benefits.

Students receiving VA educational benefits for less than 100% will have VA benefits, institutional scholarships, and IL Map Grant (if eligible) combined to total tuition and fees.

VA Benefits Depletion and Scholarship Reinstatement
Veterans who exhaust all VA benefits will have original admission scholarships reinstated on the student account, based on the amount of eligibility remaining during the academic year. For example, if a student utilizes VA benefits during the Fall term, only Spring aid will be reinstated on the student account.