Veterans Benefits

Cal Poly Pomona students eligible for Department of Defense (DoD) or U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits may seek consultation and approval from the DoD and/or VA directly. Information regarding benefits, including benefit comparisons and applications, is available on the GI Bill® website. You may also call the VA Education Assistance hotline at 1-888-442-4551. Once you understand which benefit you qualify for and receive a notice of eligibility from the VA, visit the Veterans Resource Center for assistance with establishing your educational benefits at Cal Poly Pomona.

Educational “chapter” benefits defined 

VA educational benefits are broadly defined by when and how long you, your spouse, or a parent (if you are a dependent) served in the U.S. Armed Forces. For a complete list of VA educational benefits, refer to the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs website.

Other VA benefits

Cal Vet College Fee Waiver

The Cal Vet College Fee Waiver (CFW) program benefits the spouse and children of U.S. service connected disabled veterans who are California residents. Qualified students may have their tuition waived if they attend a California Community College, California State University, or University of California campus. Applications for this program should be submitted to your local County Veterans Services Office.

Cal Vet College Fee Waiver authorization letters should be submitted annually to the Veterans Resource Center or to Student Accounting & Cashiering Services. Once received, Student Accounts & Cashiering Services will process the tuition waiver for each semester that you are enrolled during the academic year that is approved on your award letter.  Questions regarding this waiver may be directed to the Veterans Resource Center at (909) 869-6994 or vetquestions@cpp.edu.

Tuition Assistance

Armed Forces Tuition Assistance (TA) is a benefit paid to eligible members of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and Space Force. Each service has its own criteria for eligibility, obligated service, application process and restrictions. Please consult your Educational Services Officer (ESO) or counselor within your military service branch prior to enrolling at Cal Poly Pomona for further information regarding Tuition Assistance (TA). This funding is usually paid directly to the institution by the individual services. For more information, visit www.military.com.

For an estimated breakdown of tuition covered by Tuition Assistance, please contact the Veterans Resource Center at (909) 869-6994.

VA Work Study

If you are a full-time or 3/4-time student in a college degree program, vocational, or professional program, you can "earn while you learn" with a VA work-study allowance. The VA work-study allowance is available to persons training under one of the VA benefit programs: GI Bill®, Veteran Readiness & Employment, Veterans' Educational Assistance Program, Edith Nourse Rogers Science Technology Engineering Math (STEM) Scholarship, and Dependents Education Assistance. Dependents may also be eligible. Additional information is available through the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.

Tutorial Assistance

The Tutorial Assistance Program is available if you receive VA educational assistance at a half-time rate or more and have a deficiency in a subject making tutoring necessary. If you have questions please contact this program toll-free, (888) 442-4551.

Residency for Fee Purposes

Special provisions for residency status for fee purposes have been made for Veterans, military service members, and dependents. For more information visit the Residency for Fee Purposes page.

The process of receiving your VA educational benefits involves a few steps.  Elke Azpeitia, VA Certifying Official, is available to assist you with this process.  You can contact her at 909-869-2782 or at vetquestions@cpp.edu.

It is important that you review the terms of your VA educational benefits. Once you've reviewed these terms, your next step will be to apply for your VA educational benefits through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs website and complete the electronic VA Form 22-1990: Application for VA Educational Benefits. This form is also available online as a Fill-in and printable PDF. If you choose the printable application, the application must be sent to:

VA Regional Office - Western Region
P.O. Box 8888
Muskogee, OK 74402-8888

Within about one month of receiving your application, the VA will send you a Certificate of Eligibility. Submit this letter to the Veterans Resource Center at vetquestions@cpp.edu or to Elke Azpeitia, VA Certifying Official, at emazpeitia@cpp.edu. They will help you to complete the remaining forms needed for semester certification. 

It is important to know that the certification of your benefits cannot be completed until you have finalized your course registration. Register for your courses as soon as possible so you do not experience a delay in receiving your fees. If your VA benefits have been certified, please note that your tuition and fees payment will be deferred until the university receives payment from the VA.

VA Certifying Official

Elke Azpeitia
Director & VA Certifying Official
Phone: 909.869.2782
Email: emazpeitia@cpp.edu

Required verification of enrollment

Veterans receiving benefits under the Montgomery GI Bill® (Chapter 1606) are required to verify their enrollment monthly through Web Automated Verification of Enrollment for Veterans and report any enrollment changes to the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA).  WAVE allows you to update your direct deposit information and tells you if your benefits have been processed, and whether your verifications have been entered. 

Recipients of the Post 9/11 GI Bill® (Chapter 33) are required to verify their enrollment monthly in order to continue to receive their monthly housing allowance.  If a student fails to verify their enrollment status for two consecutive months, the VA will withhold monthly housing allowance payments until the student has verified their enrollment.  To setup monthly enrollment verification, Chapter 33 recipients should contact the GI Bill® Hotline (Education Call Center) at 1-888-442-4551.

Applying for financial aid beyond your veteran benefits

If you are interested in applying for financial aid beyond your veterans benefits, you can complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online. For general information regarding financial aid, go to Financial Aid and Scholarships.