MONTHLY VETERANS NEWSLETTER UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA

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The Office of Veteran Affairs at the University of Florida would like to welcome you to the August
edition of our Monthly Veterans Newsletter.

-UF VA TEAM

Fall Certification Update
You may now request certification for Fall 2009. If you are eligible to receive GI Bill Benefits as a veteran
or as a dependant, you must fill out an Enrollment Certification Request in order to receive your
benefits. Please stop by 222 Criser Hall, or go to http://www.registrar.ufl.edu/va/PostCert.pdf if you
have applied and been approved for Post-9/11 GI Bill, or
http://www.registrar.ufl.edu/va/GeneralCert.pdf for any other category.

Are You Eligible For Post-9/11 GI Bill?
Veterans who served on active duty, other than for training, for more than 90 aggregate days after
September 10, 2001, may be eligible for the Post-9/11 GI Bill, also known as Chapter 33. Veterans who
were honorably discharged for a service-connected disability after serving 30 days post 09/10/01 may
also eligible for Chapter 33 benefits. Dependants are only eligible for transferred entitlement if their
spouse or parent veteran has served at least six years after September 10, 2001, and commits to at least
four more years of service, or has already served 10 years on active duty. For more details, please visit
http://www.gibill.va.gov/GI Bill Info/CH33/Post-911.htm.

Post-9/11 Housing Stipend Overview: How It Works
The VA will pay the qualified portion of the student's tuition and fees directly to the school, but the
housing and book stipends will be sent to the student. The housing allowance for Gainesville is currently
$1,290 a month. However, the VA will not pay the housing stipend if:

You are on active duty

You are enrolled at Y-time or less

You are enrolled in an exclusively online program. You must be enrolled, every semester, in at
least one course that meets in a physical classroom (50 minutes) per week per semester hour or
two class sessions every other week per semester hour

Are You Aware of All Your Benefits?
There are many benefits offered by the Department of Veterans' Affairs that you may be unaware of.
These benefits include:

University of Florida Veteran Affairs I Monthly Veterans Newsletter

MONTHLY VETERANS NEWSLETTER UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA

Free medical coverage at the VA Hospital for up to five years after discharge for all OIF and OEF
veterans

Low-cost medical coverage (for non-OIF and OEF veterans) and pharmacy at the VA Hospital

Disability and service-related injury compensation

VA Home Loan Guarantee, where the VA will guarantee your loan to your lender, often lowering
rates and may even waive the requirement for a down payment

Life Insurance- you can convert your SGLI into VGLI, a low-cost life insurance policy

Work-study opportunities

The Florida Department of Veterans Affairs (FDVA) also offers some benefits for which you may qualify.
The FDVA's benefits brochure can be found at: http://www.floridavets.org/pdf/fvbg.pdf. For more
information on any of these benefits, please stop by the office in order to be directed to the appropriate
locations.

Dependant Benefits-Scholarships and CHAMPVA
The State of Florida provides scholarships for dependants of veterans who have died as a result of
service-related injuries or disabilities, as well as dependants of veterans with a disability rating of 100%.
Applicants must submit a completed Florida Financial Aid Application by April 1; ensure that the Florida
Department of Veterans' Affairs certifies the applicant's eligibility. The scholarship pays for tuition and
fees for up to two semesters a year, up to 132 credit hours. For more information go to
http://www.sfa.ufl.edu/programs/childrenof.html

The Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs (CHAMPVA) is a program
in which the VA shares the cost of covered health care services and supplies with eligible beneficiaries.
Please note that this is not the TRICARE program in which dependants of active duty or retired military
are eligible. However, in some cases, you may be eligible for both programs on paper. Please visit the
following website for more comprehensive information:
http://www.va.gov/hac/forbeneficiaries/champva/champva.asp

Collegiate Veterans Society Preparing For New Year
The University of Florida's Collegiate Veterans Society (CVS) is gearing up for another year. Last year.
CVS completed the Veterans Memorial at the Green Pond at Reitz Union and held the dedication
ceremony for the Memorial. CVS also helped start the Jonathan Cote and Ehren Murburg Veterans
Bridge Scholarships, and advocated student-veterans' concerns to eight US Congressmen in Washington,
DC.

This fall we will be helping run the Bikers on Parade event in November. Also, we are in the process of
organizing our biannual veterans retreat, a deep-sea fishing trip on August 29, 2009. Funds have been
approved, so please contact an officer of CVS if you are interested. You can access us through our

University of Florida Veteran Affairs I Monthly Veterans Newsletter

MONTHLY VETERANS NEWSLETTER UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA

Facebook group, stop by the Office of Veterans Affairs (two of our officers work in the office), or through
email. Emails are provided below.

The Collegiate Veterans Society is open to all veterans and anyone who is pro-veteran. Not only do we
promote our veterans and the school through these projects, but we provide an outlet for veterans who
would like to meet other veterans, or who are looking for help in transitioning to school life. If you
would like more information, contact one of the officers.

Student Veteran Organizations
Collegiate Veterans Society
Meeting Time: Fridays at 12:00 p.m.
Meeting Place: Tigert Hall, 2nd floor Conference Room. Please be on time. Normally, we meet at the
Office of Veterans Affairs about 15-20 minutes before hand and head to Tigert Hall.
Contact: Justin Levine, President iblevine@ufl.edu
Ernesto Rencel, Vice President enrencel@ufl.edu
Andres Martinez-Alegria, Secretary and Treasurer kubeenvets@ufl.edu
http://grove.ufl.edu/~veterans

Omega Delta Sigma Veterans Fraternity
Meeting Time: Tuesdays at 5:30 p.m.
Meeting Place: ROTC Building, 2nd Floor
Contact: Ben R. Farias fariasl@ufl.edu
http://grove.ufl.edu/~omegadel

For archived newsletters, please visit: http://registrar.ufl.edu/va/news.html

University of Florida Veteran Affairs I Monthly Veterans Newsletter