Who is my school certifying official?

Your school certifying official, often called an SCO or VASCO, is the person at your school who tells the VA which classes you are taking, how many credits, and what your tuition is. That is my job. Without our certification, the VA pays no tuition to the school and no housing allowance to you.

How to find them

The office goes by different names: Veterans Services, Military and Veteran Affairs, a Veterans Resource Center, or a desk inside the Registrar or Financial Aid office. Search your school's website for "VA certifying official" or ask the Registrar who handles VA benefits.

What your SCO needs from you

• A copy of your Certificate of Eligibility.
• Any school intake forms, and often a copy of your DD-214.
• A request to certify each term, if your school uses one. At many schools, no request means no certification.
• Your declared program, so we only certify classes that count toward it.
• A heads-up any time you add, drop, or withdraw from a class, or change your major.

What your SCO can and cannot do

We can explain how your enrollment affects your benefits, certify and correct your enrollment, and help you understand letters from the VA. We cannot decide your eligibility, change your benefit percentage, or send payments. Those decisions belong to the VA.