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Finish strong, summertime is almost here!

Greetings GI Bill® student,

Welcome to the May edition of the GI Bill Student Newsletter! We encourage you to stay connected with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to ensure you continue receiving important updates regarding your benefits and payments.

In this issue, you’ll find information to help you maximize your education benefits. If you’re interested in a career with the federal government, read on to learn about upcoming VA webinars to help you with applying.

This summer, the Center for Women Veterans kicks off its “Boots on the Ground for Boots on the Ground” tour in San Antonio, TX. If you are a woman Veteran interested in connecting with VA live, keep reading to find out when and where.

If you find this edition useful, please share it with other Veterans and GI Bill beneficiaries, and be sure to connect with us on the Post-9/11 GI Bill Facebook page. If you received this newsletter as a forwarded copy, we encourage you to sign up for our emails and stay in the know about all things GI Bill benefits. Don’t forget to add Veteransbenefits@messages.va.gov to your contacts list, so you don't miss important updates from us.

Mental Health Awareness Month

May is Mental Health Awareness* Month, observed annually in the United States since 1949. This month raises awareness about trauma and its impact on the physical, emotional, and mental well-being of individuals, families, and communities. VA provides extensive, specialized mental health services for Veterans, including suicide prevention and care for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression. To learn more about how VA is focused on helping Veterans, please visit the VA Mental Health Service webpage.    *The sharing of any non-VA information does not constitute an endorsement of products and services on the part of VA. Verify information with the organization offering.

VA Welcome Kit

Educational benefits are just one set of benefits you may be eligible for. VA has developed a Welcome Kit to help provide you with a brief overview of other benefits available to you.

Enrollment Verification Reminder

For students using VA education benefits, verifying school enrollment each month is required to continue receiving benefits. For a quick overview of enrollment verification, please see the How to Verify Enrollment for GI Bill Students video. More detailed information about enrollment verification can be found at the Verify your school enrollment webpage.

When to Expect Your Monthly GI Bill Payment

When students verify their enrollment, they usually ask about the anticipated timing of their monthly GI Bill payment. The following provides detailed information on the enrollment verification and payment process, ensuring students understand the steps involved and when they can expect their benefits to be disbursed.

1. Students should verify their enrollment on the last day of each month via text, email, online or through Ask VA. This should be done even on weekends or holidays.
2. Once enrollment has been verified, VA will begin processing payment.
3. The student should receive their payment within five to seven days from the date they verified. The exact timing of the deposit can vary by individual students’ banks.

PRO TIP: If you verify via text or email, be sure to add the VA enrollment verification email or text number as a trusted contact for your email account or cell phone. This will help prevent your monthly enrollment verification messages from going to spam.

• Email: do-not-reply@notifications.va.gov
• Text: 44345

Join the Center for Women Veterans in Person This Summer!

Attention women Veterans: Join the Center for Women Veterans at the Southwest Regional Women Veterans Summit: Boots on the Ground for Boots on the Ground, taking place from July 24 to July 25, in San Antonio, Texas. This empowering event is designed for women Veterans, returning citizens, and transitioning service members to connect with VA services and benefits, fostering engagement and enrollment. If you are not currently enrolled in VA health care benefits, this is your opportunity to learn about the benefits and resources. Visit the registration page to learn more about the event and secure your spot.

Rudisill Perkins Updates

VA is making it easier for eligible Veterans to receive their additional G.I. Bill benefits as a result of the Supreme Court of the United States' Rudisill decision and the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims’ (Veterans Court) Perkins decision.

VA no longer requires Veterans to ask VA for an assessment of their eligibility for both Montgomery GI Bill (MGIB) and Post-9/11 GI Bill (PGIB) under the two court rulings. Instead, VA will continue to review eligibility for Veterans with less than three months of education benefits left and who are either currently enrolled in school or were enrolled in the last six months. Focusing on these high-priority Veterans means that no student will be left without benefits if they qualify for additional benefits under either ruling.

To learn more about both decisions and the impact to GI Bill benefits, visit the Rudisill Perkins webpage.

Warrior-Scholar Project

Getting your Certificate of Eligibility (COE) was the first step. Succeeding in a college classroom is your next mission. Warrior-Scholar Project (WSP) offers free programs to help enlisted Veterans move from military service to college with confidence.

WSP’s one-week academic boot camps, available on campuses nationwide and online, provide an opportunity for enlisted Veterans to experience college life firsthand. Alongside a group of other enlisted Veterans, participants sharpen academic skills while learning from college professors. WSP also offers workshops and a self-paced online course focusing on skills essential for college success. All WSP programs cover topics like mastering time management, improving study skills, and understanding the unwritten rules of campus life as a Veteran. Visit them online to explore WSP's free programs.

IBM SkillsBuild

The IBM SkillsBuild program provides over 1,000 free online courses for beginner and advanced learners to start or boost their career in fields like data analytics, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and information technology support—with no prior experience needed. This training is free for Veterans, along with their spouses, adult children, and caregivers.

The program offers both self-paced and group learning to fit your learning needs and schedule.

Upcoming c