Tutorial assistance helps the student pay for necessary tutoring and is a supplement to the student's regular education benefit. Tutorial assistance is available if you are receiving VA educational assistance at the half-time or greater rate and have a deficiency in a subject making tutoring necessary. It is not availabe under REAP

Overview

The monthly rate of tutorial assistance may not exceed the cost of tutoring or $100. The maximum amount payable is $1200.

There is no entitlement charge for the first $600 under the Montgomery GI Bill^® (Chapters 30 or 1606), there is no entitlement charge under the Port-9/11 or DEA benefits.

Eligibility

All of the following criteria must be met for a student to be eligible for tutorial assistance.

• The student must be in a post secondary program ½-time or more. For Chapter 33, rate of pursuit must be "at least 50%."
• The student must have a deficiency in a course that is part of his or her approved program.
• The student must be enrolled in the course during the quarter, semester, or term in which the tutoring is received for the course. Tutoring may not occur between quarters or semesters.

How to Apply

The student, tutor, and certifying official must complete an Application for Individualized Tutorial Assistance (VA Form 22-1990t).

• The application may be submitted at the end of each month or combination of months. The application must be signed and dated on or after the date of the last tutoring session certified.
• Before the School Certifying Official at JMU can sign the form: all other signatures (instructor, tutor, student) must be listed and we must have a letter from the course instructor stating that the student has a deficiency and that individual tutoring is required.
  • We also can only sign it AFTER the tutoring is completed.
• Once the form is fully signed and completed, the student mails it directly to VA at the Eastern Region address listed on page 3 of the application. 

Information for Schools

When a certifying official signs an Application for Individualized Tutorial Assistance, he or she certifies that:

• Tutoring is essential to correct a deficiency - A letter from the course instructor should be put in the student's VA file stating that the student is deficient in the course and that individual tutoring is required to correct the deficiency.
• The tutor meets the college's qualifications - Ideally, the school maintains a list of approved tutors. The list should indicate the subjects a tutor is qualified to tutor and the hourly charge. Students should be assigned a tutor from the approved list. A tutor may not be a close relative of the student.
• The charges do not exceed the usual charges for tutoring.