Chapter 31 Veteran Readiness & Employment

The Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E) program, also known as Chapter 31, provides beneficiaries with tuition, fees, books, and school supplies through payments made directly to the school. You might also receive a monthly stipend.

School Certifying Official

Email: ch31@gmu.edu

Name: Kathleen Fox

Applying for Chapter 31

Using Chapter 31 VR&E at Mason

  • Please read this entire page for instructions on using your Chapter 31 VR&E benefits at Mason.
  • For questions or assistance utilizing your Chapter 31 benefits at Mason please contact our Chapter 31 School Certifying Official at Ch31@gmu.edu. 

Chapter 31 VR&E Academic Worksheet

  1. Once you have been accepted to Mason, your Chapter 31 Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor (VRC) will require a degree plan known as a Chapter 31 VR&E Academic Worksheet. This needs to be in email format from your VR&E counselor. This email can’t be completed until you have been officially admitted to George Mason University and the email requires coordination between two people, your Mason Academic Advisor and Mason’s Chapter 31 School Certifying Official (SCO). 
  • Forward the email to Mason’s Chapter 31 SCO at Ch31@gmu.edu to get Mason’s Tungsten information.
  • Then, forward the email to your Mason Academic Advisor to complete the required academic section.
  • Once the email is completed, you will send it back to your Chapter 31 VRC.
  1. * PDF Forms are no longer acceptable according to the VR&E office, and thus will not be able to be filled out by the SCOs. We apologize about the inconvenience; this is a VR&E mandate recently shared with the school.

Purchase Order (PO) Numbers

Your Chapter 31 VRC will then submit a series of Purchase Order (PO) numbers through a third-party vendor system called Tungsten. Students at GMU require two separate PO#s. PO numbers should be from Jan 1-Dec 31 of the current year. 

  1. Tuition & Fees, and a Semester Parking Pass should be entered on the same PO in two separate line items. 

  2. The GMU Bookstore needs a separate PO. The GMU Bookstore is Ecampus. The TaxID and the Email address have to be correct (see below) or the PO will not got to the correct bookstore. 

Tuition & Fees Billing and Parking Pass 

  • TaxID# 540836354 

  • Facility Code# 11922146 

  • Email Address: Ch31@gmu.edu  

Bookstore 

  • TaxID# 36-4454941

  • Facility Code# 11516315 (ecampus)

  • Email Address: gmu@ecampus.com  Please ensure you copy and paste this email address into the PO, as some counselors have issues with the incorrect email auto-populating, causing delays in book purchases. 

     

Veteran Registration and Reporting Form (VRRF)

  • Every semester that you want to use your Chapter 31 VR&E benefits at Mason you will need to submit a Veterans Registration and Reporting Form (VRRF).
  • You need to submit a VRRF:
    •  By the first day of each semester that you want to use benefits. 
    • If you make a change to your schedule after you initial VRRF for a semester has been submitted to the VA. 
  • Click here to submit a VRRF. 

Memos and Refund Request

  • If you submit a VRRF by the first day of classes and you have a PO# on file, a memo for expected payment from the VA will be placed on your Student Account. 
  • Once a memo is on your account for the expected payment from the VA, financial aid can be refunded. 
  • A refund is not automatic. 
  • A Refund Request Form should be submitted via email to saccount@gmu.edu and tpbill@gmu.edu. 
  • Please allow 10-15 business days for processing. In order to expedite the process, we recommend setting up Direct Deposit through Patriot Web Self Service. The option is located under the Personal Information Tab in Patriot Web Self Service.

Parking Pass

  • For every semester that you want to use your Chapter 31 VR&E benefits to pay for a semester parking pass you will need:
    1. A valid Purchase Order (PO) number with parking line item on it. This must be an approved item from your counselor.
    2. To submit a VRRF for that semester. 
  • Once you have the above two things I will put your name on the Semester - Chapter 31 VR&E Parking Pass Authorization List. After that you can go in person to parking services or email transpo@gmu.edu and request a semester parking pass. 
  • In your email to them include:
    1. Full name
    2. G#
    3. Which campus you need a parking pass for
    4. That you are using Chapter 31 VR&E to pay for your parking pass and that you name in on the Semester - Chapter 31 VR&E Parking Pass Authorization List.

Books and School Supplies

Your Chapter 31 Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor (VRC) will then submit a series of Purchase Order (PO) numbers through a third-party vendor system called Tungsten. Your assigned Chapter 31 VRC will also provide you with the PO#. You will need two separate PO#’s. One PO# for Tuition & Fees and a semester parking pass, and a separate PO# for the GMU Bookstore (ECampus) to buy books and school supplies. Please be aware turnaround time is about 48 hours. The Book Store will not immediately have access to your PO number. 

  • There will be a FAQ and a "How to Order" instructional primer with images for Chapter 31 once the new system is active.
  • Online: All students will need to do a SSO login and make an ECampus account. Your PO information will already be associated with your account if the PO has been received. From your dashboard, you should see Financial Aid added under US Department of Veteran Affairs-Supplies or Department of Veteran Affairs Textbooks.
  • The new system should have your course schedule and the books required for the courses to ensure the required textbooks are purchased.
  • In-Person: All books will be purchase online. There will not be a formal store to walk in for purchases. You will be able to pick your books up on campus at no charge, and the shipping will be expedited to 2-day shipping to campus. Pleas be aware, if you are ordering and requesting the books/supplies be shipped directly to you, there may be shipping costs associated, and not all purchase orders are approved for shipping costs. 

  GMU Book Store POC: gmu@ecampus.com is the contact for additional support.

  

        

Electronics and Expensive School Supplies

Instructions for purchasing a laptop, laptop accessories, and expensive school supplies over $50.

E-Campus will be the provider of electronics and large supplies. Further steps on how to handle this type of request/purchase will be updated soon.  

  • In the meantime. For these questions, please contact gmu@ecampus.com for a list of available electronics. 

 

Communicating with your Chapter 31 VRC

We suggest that all veterans with active cases who are experiencing difficulties with responses reach out to their assigned VRC via the following email: EVA@va.gov. Please remember to use the email address you have registered with EVA, this may or may not be your George Mason email address, typical it is NOT your school email address. The communication will go directly to the electronic case file, so even if there is a counselor change, VR&E will get it. If an email is sent to the counselor’s government email, VR&E may not receive it if the counselor has left or been changed.

The main Veteran Readiness and Employment office for most GMU Chapter 31 students is the:

National Capital Regional Benefits Office (NCRBO) (D.C.)
1722 I Street NW
Washington, DC 20421

There are two primary Veteran Readiness Counselors (VRCs) for GMU:

Xavier Thompson

Shelby Holley

There are two Supervisory Veteran Readiness Counselors (VRCs) in the NCRBO Office:

Glenn Cassis

Astrid Mcdermott