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The VA work-study program permits eligible students to perform services for VA in return for a monetary allowance equal to the prevailing Federal or State minimum wage, whichever is higher. VA work-study payments are non-taxable. Eligible students may contract for a maximum of 1300 hours of service in any 12 month period. The maximum number of hours a student may work will be based on 25 times the number of weeks in the student's enrollment period; e.g., 250 hours for a 10 week term; 300 hours for a 12 week term. Work-study services may be performed at VA regional offices, educational institutions, VA medical facilities, VA national cemeteries, certain other organizations approved for outreach activities. For Chapter 1606 trainees only, services may be performed at DOD, National Guard and Coast Guard facilities, and their work-study services must be related to the administration of the Chapter 1606 program.
If a work-study student is assigned to a university, he or she may be paid by the university the difference between the amount payable by VA and the amount which the university pays to other non-VA work study students performing similar services.
Work-study services at educational institutions may include, but are not limited to, the following: (1) Processing enrollment documents (Note: Work-study students may not sign an Enrollment Certification.); (2) Assisting institutional officials in maintaining veterans' records; (3) Providing supportive assistance to the campus office of Veterans' Affairs; (4) Providing outreach services.
Veteran students who are assigned by the institution to perform outreach activities must be working under the supervision of a VA employee. Such supervision may be accomplished by a combination of personal and telephone contacts. If the institution wishes to establish a VA outreach activity, the Veterans Services Officer at the regional office should be contacted prior to development of plans for an outreach program.
Eligibility
Students pursuing three-quarter or full-time programs of education or training under Chapters 30, 31, 32, 35, 1606, and Section 903 veterans are eligible to receive a work-study allowance. Whenever feasible, VA will give priority in selection for this allowance to veterans with service-connected disabilities rated at 30 percent or more. VA will consider the following additional selection criteria: (1) Need of the student to supplement his or her educational assistance allowance; (2) Availability to the student of transportation to the place where his or her services are to be performed; (3) Motivation of the student; and (4) Compatibility of the work assignment to the student's physical condition.
Application
Form 20-8691, Veterans Application For Work-Study Allowance ***link to form***, should be completed by the student and submitted to the nearest VA regional office. Once selected for the work-study program, Form 4-8690, Work-Study Time Record (Veteran-Student Services), will be used as the record of hours worked by the student and verified by his or her supervisor.
Rate of Payment
In return for the student's agreement to perform services for VA totaling, for example, 250 hours during an enrollment period, VA will pay an allowance in an amount equal to the prevailing Federal or State minimum wage, whichever is higher, times 250. VA will pay proportionately less to students who agree to perform a lesser number of hours of services. Advance payment will be limited to the amount that would be paid for the first 50 hours of each work-study contract, or 40% of the amount of the total contract, whichever is the lesser. Thereafter, payments are made in arrears for each increment of 50 hours of service performed.
In the event the student ceases to be at least a three-quarter time student before completing an agreement, the student, with the approval of the VA regional office, may be permitted to complete the portions of an agreement in the same or immediately following term in which the student ceases to be a three-quarter-time student. If the student terminates all training before completing an agreement, VA may permit him or her to complete the portion of the agreement represented by the money VA has advanced to the student for which he or she has performed no services, but will not permit him or her to complete that portion of an agreement for which no advance payment has been made. The student must complete the portion of an agreement in the same or immediately following term in which he or she terminates training.
If the veteran has received an advance for hours of unperformed service, and VA has evidence that he or she does not intend to perform that service, the advance will be a debt due the government, and will be subject to recovery the same as any other debt due the United States. The amount of indebtedness or each hour of unperformed service will equal the hourly wage that formed the basis of the contract.