Interval Pay - Veterans Affairs Office

Interval (Break) pay between semesters, quarters, and terms is paid according to the rules outlined below. Breaks are paid at the rate paid on the ending date of the term preceding the break. VA pays breaks automatically unless one of the following restrictions precludes payment for the break.

Restrictions on Break Pay

• The break is more than 8 weeks (56 days).
• The term before or after the break is shorter than the break.
• Training time the last day of the preceding semester, quarter, or term is less than ½-time.
• The student withdrew from all courses during the preceding semester, quarter, or term.
• The student’s entitlement will exhaust and not paying the break is to the student’s advantage (chapter 30 only).
• The student requests no pay for a break before payment for the break is authorized.
• The student is on active duty.

Keeping these restrictions in mind, the following tables summarize break pay for students who continue at the same school and for students who transfer from one school to another:

Summer Term Rule

Summer term is the period of instruction that takes place between ordinary school years. Summer term may be divided into several summer sessions. The length of summer term is the actual number of school days the student is certified, being careful not to count a day twice when sessions overlap. The following table summarizes summer term break pay for students who continue at the same school.