Current Students

Veterans Education Benefits Certification

INTRODUCTION 

As a student veteran, service member, spouse or dependent who has been admitted to CSUN, you can use the Veterans Education Benefit Certification module in myNorthridge Portal to:

  1. Upload the required documents one time to verify eligiblity for VA education benefits
  2. Request certification for each term you enroll in classes (required)
  3. Check the status of your certification request
  4. Update the classes for which you’ve already requested certification
  5. Review general policies for veterans’ education benefits certification

Noteworthy:

  • Even if you do not plan to claim veterans’ education benefits, you can upload DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, to qualify for priority registration.
  • If you plan to receive only the CalVet Fee Waiver, you are NOT required to request VA education benefit certification for your classes. However, you should upload the required documents. Please contact our CSUN Veterans Affairs Office for more information.

Please request Veterans Education Benefit Certification using the online module. If this isn’t possible, please contact our CSUN Veterans Affairs Office.


Overview

 The Veterans Education Benefits Certification module has four pages:

  1. Welcome page – important information and helpful links
  2. Certification Request – the “gateway” page (select a term/semester)
  3. Attachments - required documents to attach, mostly one time only
  4. Certify Enrollments, Read and Acknowledge page – select or update classes to certify

Thumbnail images of Welcome and Certification Request pages

Thumbnail images of Attachments and Certify Enrollments pages


Step 2

Let's get started.

Go to the CSUN home page at www.csun.edu and:

  1. Open the MyCSUN menu in the top navigation.
  2. Select the CSUN Portal link.
  3. Log in with your CSUN user ID and password.

MyCSUN menu on new home page with CSUN Portal login link


Step 2

Your CSUN Portal home screen displays.*

  1. Select the Student Services menu in the top navigation.
  2. Choose the last link, Veterans Benefits.
  3. On the new page that displays, select Request my VA Benefits.

A link to this guide is also available on the Veterans Benefits page.

CSUN Portal home page and Student Services menu with link to Veterans Benefits


Step 3

The Welcome page displays.

  1. You must submit an online Veterans Education Benefit Certification Request for each term in which you enroll in classes.
  2. Be ready to attach the required documents only once if this is the first time you are certifying veterans’ education benefits at CSUN and you have not already provided document copies to the CSUN Veterans Affairs Office.

The Welcome page provides:

  • A list of required documents
  • CSUN Veterans Affairs Office contact info
  • Links to the CSUN Veterans Resource Center, the CalVet website, and the federal VA

To proceed, select the Certification Request button (lower right).

Note: Each page includes a drop-down menu to navigate to the SOLAR Student Center or your Student Financial Account.

Veterans Education Benefits Certification Welcome page


Step 4

The Certification Request page displays. It's a “gateway” to the other pages in the module.

 

Here you will:

 

  1. Select the term you wish to request veterans’ education benefits for.

  2. Initiate, the certification request process for each term of enrollment.

  3. Navigate to the “Attachments” page to upload documents.

  4. Navigate to the “Select Classes to Certify” page to request certification course-by-course.

  5. Check the status of your benefits certification after initiating the request for a term.

By default, all sections on the Certification Request page are blank and greyed out except for the button to return to the Welcome page.

To activate the page, select a term or semester from the Term drop-down menu (upper left).

Certification Request page with "select a term" drop-down menu


Step 5

The Certification Request page activates as follows:

  • If this is the first time you are requesting certification for the term, the Benefits Information section activates.
  • If you have already initiated a certification request for the term, only the navigation buttons activate.

Let's say it's your first time for this term. Edit the Benefits Information section:*

  1. In the 3 drop-down menus, make your selections for:
    – Your veterans service branch or that of your parent/guardian/spouse if you are a dependent
    – The type of VA education benefits you are using (e.g., Chapter number)**
    – Who will use the benefits (self, spouse or dependent)
  2. In the "Select all that apply" section, check the boxes if you are on Active Duty, in the Reserves, and/or in the National Guard.
  3. In the "Questions/Instructions" box (optional), enter details or questions you have for the CSUN Veterans Affairs Office about benefits for this term.

*Some information might populate from your Cal State Apply admission application.

**Selecting Chapter 35, Dependents’ Educational Assistance, will display a Chapter 35 File Number box (not shown). Be sure to enter your file number.

Select the Initiate Request button.

Fields to fill out in the Benefit Information section for the term


Step 6

A pop-up window displays to alert you that selecting Initiate Request only saves your application; your certification process is not complete.

  • You still need to upload the required documents (one time only), enroll in classes for this term if you haven’t already done so, and select classes to certify.
  • Your School Certifying Official (SCO) will be able to view your application and answer any questions you entered in 1 to 2 business days.

Select the OK button to proceed.

A pop-up confirms you have initiated but not completed your request


Step 7

Back on the Certification Request page:

  • The status “Initiated” displays in the table "Your Veterans Benefits for this Term."
  • The button label changes from “Initiate Request” to "Initiated" and greys out.
  • You can no longer edit the "Benefits Information" section for this term. Contact our CSUN Veterans Affairs Office to update it.
  • The Attachments button is now active, and you can upload required documents.

Select the Attachments button.

Certification Rquest page with active Attachments button


Step 8

The Attachments page displays for the selected term.

All veterans, service members and dependents are required to attach the following documents one time only:

1. Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty (DD214 Member 4),
AND
2. Department of Veterans Affairs Certificate of Eligibility correspondence/letter

If you are changing your academic program (major) or place of training, also attach:

3. Request for Change of Program or Place of Training Form (VA Form 22-1995),
OR
4. Dependents Request for Change of Program or Place of Training Form (VA Form 22-5495, DEA Ch. 35)

If additional documents are required (e.g., your Degree Progress Report), our CSUN Veterans Affairs Office will email you.

Notes:

  • Please do not upload two identical documents.
  • You can upload documents without being enrolled in classes.

To proceed:

  1. From the File Type drop-down menu, select the kind of document to upload (e.g., DD Form 214).
  2. Select the Add Attachment button that appears.
  3. In the File Attachment pop-up window that displays, choose the file from your device and upload it (JPG, PNG, DOCX, PDF, etc.).

Attachments page with required documents list, menus and buttons to upload files


Step 8a

Once your file is uploaded through the Attachments page:

  1. A pop-up confirms that your file has uploaded. Select OK to close it.
  2. Your file displays in the File Attachments table. Select View to open it if desired.
  3. Toggle open the Expand to View All Attachments table to view a list of all the files you have uploaded, including file name, date/time, and related term/semester.

Select the Return button to go back to the Certification Request page.

Completed Attachments page with confirmation pop-up and "Return" button


Step 9

Select Classes to Certify

If you have enrolled in classes for the term, you are ready to request certification for the courses in your schedule.

  1. Return to the Certification Request page.
  2. Select the Term again.
  • The page populates with the information you previously entered.
  • The Enrollment to Certify section (halfway down the page) explains that the CSUN Veterans Affairs Office will monitor your degree progress and course work, as required by the federal VA.
  • In the My Class Schedule table, your courses display for the selected term. The table is greyed out, but the columns and rows contain the following data:
    • Column 1 – Cert Request: Check boxes are blank until you select courses to certify.
    • Columns 2-5: Course subject, number, section and description
    • Column 6 – Status: Enrolled or dropped
    • Column 7 – Withdrawal Status
    • Column 8 – Units Taken: Counts enrolled and dropped classes
    • Column 9 – Status Date
  • Total Term Units (below table): Total enrolled units

Select the column headers to sort the course data if desired.

Choose the Select Classes to Certify button below the “My Class Schedule” table.

My Class Schedule table lists courses for term on Certification Request page


Step 10

The Certify Enrollments, Read and Acknowledge page displays for the term.

Reminder: You must certify your courses for each term in which you enroll.

1. Review the conditions of your VA education benefits (top box), including:

  • Approving agencies and laws
  • What the federal VA pays for
  • Monthly housing allowance (MHA) calculation
  • The need to make satisfactory academic progress
  • A warning about nonpunitive grades. Students may owe a debt to the federal VA for overpayment of benefits if a grade of No Credit (NC) is earned unless there are documented, mitigating circumstances.

2. In the Read and Acknowledge section, select the check box if you understand and agree to the conditions and to confirm that the information you are providing is true and correct.

3. In the Request Classes for Certification table, select the courses you want to certify.

  • Request certification only for courses that are part of the curriculum for your major or academic program. The VA will not cover tuition and fees for other courses.
  • Do not check any classes you have dropped.

4. Select Submit Request (it will disappear).

5. Select Return to go back to the Certification Request page.

Full view of "Certify Enrollments, Read and Acknowledge" page


Step 11

Back on the Certification Request page, at the bottom:

  • Your initial certification requests for the term are reflected in the greyed-out My Class Schedule table.
  • A red and blue box offers this reminder: “When I submit my certification request, I am stating that my schedule is final and complete and I understand that if my schedule changes, I must notify the CSUN Veterans Affairs Office immediately.”

If finished, be sure to log out (see Step 17).

If you change your schedule later, see Step 12.

My Class Schedule table, Certification Request page, displays your submissions


Step 12

Schedule Changes

Important: If you have already submitted courses for certification and later add or drop classes, you are responsible for updating your certification request within seven (7) days of changing your schedule.

To update classes to certify:

  1. Return to the Certification Request page and select the term.
  2. A new pop-up window will display because you've already completed (i.e., submitted) an initial course certification request for this term.
  3. Select the OK button to proceed.

Pop-up message that you have already submitted a previous certification request


 Step 13

In the greyed out My Class Schedule table at the bottom of the Certification Request page:

  • The student has dropped two classes previously submitted for certification, but the Certification Request boxes are still checked; and
  • The student has added two new classes but hasn’t requested them for certification yet; the boxes are unchecked.

To fix the problem, select the Update Classes to Certify button.

Certification Request page "My Class Schedule" table needs updating for the term


Step 14

The Certify Enrollments, Read and Acknowledge page again displays.

In the Request Classes for Certification table:

  1. Sort the “Status” column to display all the “dropped” and “enrolled” classes together.
  2. Uncheck the class(es) you have dropped.
  3. Check the new class(es) you have added.
  4. Check the “I understand and agree to…” acknowledgement box.
  5. Select Submit Request to save your changes.

Select Return to go back to the “Certification Request” page.

Revisit Certify Enrollments page to update courses for certification


Step 15

Back on the Certification Request page, the "My Class Schedule" table reflects your updated course certification requests.

Congratulations! You have updated and completed the Veterans Education Benefits Certification Request process for the term you selected.

You can—in fact, you must—return to the Certify Enrollments, Read and Acknowledge page at any time to update your class certification request.

There’s just one more feature of the Certification Request page we hope you’ll find useful....

The My Class Schedule table, Certification Request page, reflects your updates


Step 16

Status of Your Certification Request

To check the status of your certification request, review the Your Veterans Benefits for This Term table in the upper right corner of the Certification Request page.

The table changes over time and tracks your requests for the term in 6 columns:

  1. Term code
  2. Term description (e.g., Spring 2021 Semester)
  3. Seq# – Displays the sequence number of your requests.* The image below shows the transactions for the student in Steps 14 and 15:
    • Seq 1 = Your initial benefit certification request and enrollment data were created and reported;
    • Seq 2 = You dropped two classes for which you were already certified, and you added two new classes to maintain 12 units. Some time passed, and your SCO reported your request.
  1. Status of request:
    • Initiated: Veterans Benefit enrollment data has not been created yet. You have initiated this term but have not yet requested any classes for certification.
    • Submitted: Veterans Benefit enrollment data has not been created yet. You have submitted classes for certification.
    • In Review: Veterans Benefit enrollment data has been created and the status is In Review.
    • Reported: Veterans Benefit enrollment data has been created and the status is Reported.
    • Denied: Veterans Benefit enrollment data has been created and the status is Denied.
    • Staff Added: Veterans Benefit enrollment data has been created and the status is Staff Added.
    • Pending: Veterans Benefit enrollment data has been created and the status is Pending.
    • Withdrawn: Veterans Benefit enrollment data has been created and the status is Withdrawn.
  1. Certified (yes or no)
  2. Units (total units for the sequence number in question)

*Some sequence numbers may appear more than once if only partial units are requested for certification.

Check status of your request in the Your Veterans Benefits for this Term table


Step 17

That’s it, except…

  • To exit the Veterans Benefits module, close its web browser tab.
  • To return to the CSUN Portal Student Services page, select the Veterans Benefits tab in your web browser and navigate back to the portal home page.

If finished with your session, remember to log out of the portal completely (not shown).

Close the Veterans Benefits web browser tab and select the CSUN Portal tab