Other VA Rules

	Because there are so many ways of receiving VA educational benefits (Chapter 30, Chapter 31- Voc-Rehab, Chapter 32, VEAP, and Chapter 35 -Dependents, and Chapter 1606 - Reservists), it is a good idea to be aware of the rules governing the use of GI Bill Benefits. The VA initiated these rules to reduce the risk of entitlement abuses. The restrictions are as follows:

A provision regarding course withdrawals requires that mitigating circumstances be automatically considered to exist in the first instance of withdrawal from courses totaling not more than 6 semester hours. This is a one time only benefit. This means that the VA will allow you to drop credits (1 cr. to 6 cr.) with no questions asked.

After the one time only drop benefit, dropping credits below your beginning benefit load or withdrawing from school cannot be done without good reason.

A vet receiving a non punitive grade (a grade that does not get averaged into the G.P.A.--grade point average--i.e., "W" withdrawal) must submit mitigating circumstances to the VA. A punitive grade of "D" or "F" is still considered earned credit and entitlement is not affected.

The VA allows a year to make up an incomplete grade, however, please be aware that your instructors set the time limits on incomplete grades earned at UConn. In each of the above cases, the VA will reduce benefits retroactively to the beginning of a semester if a good reason is not substantiated. Another important element of VA rules is the School's Standards of Progress that appears in the previous article. GI Benefits are a right, but how a student uses them is governed by the VA. Students with questions should see the veteran counselor on his/her campus.