UCLA
Veteran Resource Center

Benefit Certification Process

🎯 Timeline for New Students and Continuing Students Using VA Benefits and CalVet Waivers – Quarter Students 2026-2027 Academic Year

Spring 2026 (Pre-Fall Prep)

After April 15: The CalVet and VA Bruin and Military Benefits Intake (BaMBI) portal opens for Fall 2025 submissions.
→ Submit your Certificate of Eligibility (COE) and/or CalVet Fee Waiver Award Letter with 16-digit code for processing and approval.

Beginning April 20: UCLA begins approving submitted VA and CalVet benefit requests.

August 2026

August 15: Priority deadline to submit your Certificate of Eligibility and/or CalVet Fee Waiver Award Letter with 16-digit code via the BaMBI portal.

  • ✅ We will still process benefit submissions after this date and throughout the academic year.

⚠️ However, to ensure timely coordination across multiple departments, we cannot guarantee your benefits will be:

  • Processed before the fee payment deadline
  • Included in the first round of VA certifications
  • Reflected in your financial aid award before disbursement
  • Processing may be significantly delayed if documents are submitted late, and students are always responsible for any outstanding charges on their BruinBill.

August 22: Fee Assessment Date – You will see your tuition and fee charges appear on BruinBill.

  • ✅ If your CalVet waiver is already approved, it will apply the next business day to your BruinBill once you have a bill for the term.
  • ⚠️ You must have a bill for the term in order for the CalVet waiver to appear on your BruinBill.
  • ✅ A $0 VA Fee Deferral is added for approved for Ch 33 Post 9/11 GI Bill and Ch 31 VRE students

September 2026

Early September: UCLA submits the first VA certification (unit count only) to the VA.

  • You must be enrolled in units (not waitlisted) to be certified.
  • The VA receives a $0 tuition/fee certification—you’ll get a confirmation email/letter from the VA that only units and NOT tuition were certified (this is correct!).

September 15: Financial Aid Disbursement for most students.

  • ⚠️ VA benefits and CalVet waivers may not be included in your financial aid award letter at this time—check your UCLA Financial Aid Award through the Bruin Financial Aid Award Portal or call UCLA Financial Aid to see when your benefits will be reflected in your award letter if they are not there by this time. If you do not know how to view your Bruin Financial Aid Award Portal, please visit: https://financialaid.ucla.edu/bruin-financial-aid

September 20: Fall Quarter Fee Payment Deadline

  • ✅ Ch 33 Post 9/11 GI Bill and Ch 31 VRE students with approved BaMBI requests are protected from the fee payment deadline or being dropped from classes by a $0 Fee Deferral on their BruinBill.
  • 🏠 Housing charges must still be paid or placed on a payment plan.
  • 💳 CalVet and Chapter 35 students must pay their remaining balance or enroll in a payment plan by this deadline.

October 2026

Mid-October: VA ADVANCE Credit Memos applied to BruinBill as a placeholder for expected VA tuition/fee payment for Ch 33 Post 9/11 GI Bill and Ch 31 VRE students

  • 🧾 These are estimates and will be removed once actual VA payment arrives.
  • ⚠️ Fall ADVANCE Memos are delayed due to multi-department coordination with Financial Aid.

Week 4 of the Fall Quarter: UCLA submits the second VA certification to the VA with any adjusted units after the add/drop deadline (includes tuition and fees for Ch 33 Post 9/11 GI Bill and Ch 31 VRE students).

November 2026

November 1: VA disburses your first Monthly Housing Allowance (MHA) for VA education beneficiaries in the quarter system at UCLA.

  • ⏳ VA pays 30 days after term start—typically on or around the 1st of the month.
  • 2 weeks after second certification: VA sends tuition/fee payment to UCLA for Ch 33 Post 9/11 GI Bill and Ch 31 VRE students.
  • ✅ This replaces the ADVANCE Credit Memo on your BruinBill.

November 18: Winter Quarter Fee Assessment – charges appear on BruinBill.

  • ✅ Continuing Ch 33 Post 9/11 GI Bill and Ch 31 VRE students usually receive a $0 VA Fee Deferral the next day.
  • 💳 A Winter ADVANCE Credit Memo is also added to BruinBill for Ch 33 Post 9/11 GI Bill and Ch 31 VRE students

December 2026

December 1: VA disburses the second MHA/stipend for Fall.

December 9: First round of Winter certifications sent (unit count only).

  • 📌 You must be enrolled in Winter classes (not waitlisted) to be certified.

December 11: Fall Quarter ends.

December 20: Winter Fee Payment Deadline

  • ✅ Chapter 33 students with approved BaMBI requests are protected from the fee payment deadline or being dropped from classes by a $0 Fee Deferral on their BruinBill.
  • 💳 CalVet and Chapter 35 students must pay or enroll in a payment plan.

December 24: Winter Financial Aid Disbursement. Check your UCLA Financial Aid Award through the Bruin Financial Aid Award Portal If you do not know how to view your Bruin Financial Aid Award Portal, please visit: https://financialaid.ucla.edu/bruin-financial-aid

📆 Winter Quarter Timeline

January 2027

January 1: VA disburses your final MHA or Chapter 35 stipend for Fall.

  • 📉 Your January 1st MHA Payment will be reduced because Fall ended on December 12.

January 4: Winter Quarter begins.

End of January: Add/Drop deadline

  • 🕒 UCLA does not recertify VA enrollment until after February 1 to avoid disrupting VA processing.
  • 📣 If your unit count changes before the drop deadline, please notify the Veterans Resource Center by emailing vabenefit@saonet.ucla.edu

February 2027

February 1: VA disburses your first Monthly Housing Allowance (MHA) for Chapter 33 or monthly stipend for Chapter 35 for Winter Quarter.