Request Certification (CRF)

The Certification Request Form (CRF) is how you tell the APSU Veterans Education Benefits office which courses you are enrolled in each term. Our office uses this information to certify your enrollment to the VA, which triggers your benefit payment.

The CRF must be completed every term — including fall, spring, summer, maymester and wintermester sessions. It is not automatic. If you do not submit a CRF, your enrollment will not be certified and your VA benefit will not be paid for that term.

Who needs to submit a CRF

All students receiving VA education benefits at APSU must submit a CRF every term of enrollment. This includes:

Veterans, active duty service members, reservists, and National Guard members
Dependents using transferred or survivor education benefits

First-time applicants: If this is your first term using VA benefits at APSU, complete the CRF as part of your initial enrollment process. See First-Time Applicants for the full checklist.

When to submit

Submit your CRF as soon as your class registration is finalized — do not wait until the semester starts. Refer to Important Dates for term-specific deadlines:

Priority deadline: End of the pre-registration period (continuing students) — ensures timely processing and payment
Final deadline: 14th day of classes — the absolute cutoff for that term

Submit as early as possible. Our office processes CRFs for thousands of students each term, in the order they are received. The earlier you submit, the sooner your enrollment can be certified and your VA payment released. Submitting close to the final deadline means a significantly longer wait — which can create real financial difficulty if your payment is delayed.

How to submit

The CRF is completed through OneStop, APSU's student self-service portal. You will need:

Your APSU student ID
Your VA file or claim number
Your current term's course schedule as registered

For step-by-step instructions on locating and completing the form within OneStop, see the CRF Step-by-Step Guide (PDF).

After you submit

Once our office receives your CRF, we review your enrollment and submit your certification to the VA. The VA then processes that certification and issues payment according to your benefit chapter.

Plan for a significant wait.

Processing happens in two stages — first through our office, then through the VA — and both take time. Our office processes certifications in the order CRFs are received, and with thousands of students submitting each term, it can be weeks before your certification reaches the VA. After that, the VA has its own processing timeline before payment is released.

Neither our office nor the VA will contact you individually when each stage is complete. If you have questions about your payment status, contact the VA directly at 1-888-442-4551 or visit VA.gov.

If your registration changes after you submit

If you add a course: Submit a new CRF for the added course(s) only. When you return to OneStop to complete the new CRF, the system will only display courses that have not yet been certified — you do not need to resubmit your full schedule.

If you drop a course: Contact the Veterans Education Benefits office promptly. Our office is required to report enrollment reductions to the VA, and drops can affect your payment amount or create a debt.

See Attendance & Enrollment Changes for details on how drops and withdrawals affect your benefit.