If you are receiving Veterans Affairs (VA) Education Benefits, you must request certification for your benefits each semester.
Qualifying classes
The VA Education Benefits Office will certify:
- classes that are required for your program
- classes that are prerequisites to required classes for your program
- specific dates of required classes
The VA Educations Benefits Office is unable to certify classes that:
- are considered Adult Basic Literacy Education
- are in the Continuing Education program
- are filling a requirement that transfer credit has already satisfied
- were previously passed with the minimum grade required by Central Piedmont
- are being audited
- are for programs not approved by the State Approving Agency are online, under the following circumstances:
- are online, under the following circumstances:
- Chapter 33 benefit: If you're in all online courses, your monthly stipend will be based on half the national average of Basic Allowance for Housing. To receive the full entitlement of Monthly Housing Allowance, you must take at least one in-person or hybrid course per semester.
- Chapter 35 benefit: Online classes cannot be certified if you are in a diploma or certificate program.
All policies are subject to change based on institutional and federal guidelines.
Certification process
You must request certification every semester. Certification requests for summer semester will be accepted starting April 1, fall semester will be accepted starting May 1 and spring semester will be accepted starting November 1.
Steps to request certification:
- Register for classes.
- Submit the Veterans Affairs Certification Request form. You can upload a copy of your certificate of eligibility with the certification request form. Spring 2026 Certification Request form Summer 2026 Certification Request form Fall 2025 Certification Request form
- If Chapter 30, 35 or 1606, pay your tuition and fees to secure your spot in the class. If Chapter 33 or 31, submitting the certification request form will place a hold on your classes, so that they are not automatically dropped due to missed payment.
- If you need to change your schedule after you submit your Veterans Affairs Certification Request form, complete the Veterans Affairs Schedule Adjustment form (PDF) and email it to Veterans Affairs.
