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Tutorial assistance may be paid to eligible persons training under Chapters 30, 32, 35 and 1606 to aid them in defraying the expenses incurred by their need for tutoring.

This allowance is a supplement to the claimant's monthly educational assistance check and is paid without any entitlement charge for those under Chapter 35. However, for those persons under Chapters 30, 32 and 1606, an individual's period of entitlement will be charged only with respect to the amount of tutorial assistance paid in excess of $600. There is no entitlement charge for the first $600 of tutorial assistance. For payments above $600, the entitlement charge is computed by dividing the amount paid by the individual's full-time rate for schooling. This means that for Chapter 32 (VEAP) individuals, tutorial assistance paid in excess of $600 will be taken from the individual's contribution fund in the same proportion as these contributions are used to pay other educational assistance to the individual.

The supplementary tutorial assistance is paid at the rate of the monthly cost of tutorial assistance not to exceed $100 per calendar month. The maximum assistance to which a claimant will be eligible is $1,200.

Application

Form 22-1990t, Application and Enrollment Certification for Individualized Tutorial Assistance ***link to form***, is a multipurpose form. It combines an application for tutorial assistance from the claimant and a certification of the need for tutorial assistance from the institution. All claims for tutorial assistance are to be made on Form 22-1990t. The completed application should be forwarded to the appropriate regional processing office. An individual claim may be submitted at the end of each month or the claim may be delayed and cover more than 1 month. However, tutorial assistance may be authorized only for tutoring received within the 1-year period prior to the date the claim was received in VA. In no case may the allowance of any one month exceed $100.

Eligibility

The student must be enrolled in a postsecondary educational program on a half-time or more basis and must have a deficiency in a subject required as part of, or prerequisite or indispensable to the satisfactory pursuit of the approved program.

Note: Tutorial assistance may not be used to improve satisfactory grades in order to raise the student's academic standing; however, a passing grade which is not sufficiently high to establish credit for degree purposes may be considered a deficiency.

Tutorial assistance may be authorized only for tutoring given during the student's enrollment period. Although this includes weekends and breaks during a term or other standard division of the school year, it does not include breaks between such periods. The student must be pursuing the unit course and receiving tutoring for that course during the term for which payment is requested.

Certification By School Official

The institution must certify the following: (1) Tutoring is essential to correct a deficiency as certified by the instructor; (2) The person furnishing the tutoring is qualified under standards established by the institution to offer tutoring in the area of deficiency; (3) the charges do not exceed the customary charges for such assistance; and (4) The tutoring is given on an individual basis.

Note: Infrequently, simultaneous tutoring of two or three students may be warranted; e.g., the subject matter demands participation of and an interchange between several students in order for tutoring to be successful. If tutoring is furnished simultaneously to more than one student, it must be completely justified by the institution and in no event allowed to become a matter of course.

Prohibition

No close relative (spouse, parent, brother, sister) may tutor a student.

Generally, there should be few claims for tutorial assistance for those in graduate degree programs. When a student is admitted to a graduate program, he or she has demonstrated the ability to maintain satisfactory academic standing. Graduate students applying for tutorial assistance should be prepared to submit proof of the need for tutoring.