2026-2027 Yellow Ribbon Open Season

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Dear School Certifying Official,

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is now accepting modifications to terms of existing Yellow Ribbon Program agreements and soliciting for initial participation from Institutions of Higher Learning. If your school is currently participating, your open-ended agreement will be automatically renewed with the same terms unless you submit a request for changes or submit a request for withdrawal.

Otherwise, no further action or communication is required if your institution does not need to modify terms of its agreement.

IMPORTANT NEWS:

In support of VA’s modernization and paperless initiatives, the Yellow Ribbon Agreement (VA Form 22-0839) is now fully digital. VA no longer accepts email submissions to the Yellow Ribbon Mailbox; instead, institutions must submit agreements through the Education File Upload Portal. Historically, School Certifying Officials (SCOs) completed the form, obtained an authorized electronic or wet signature, and submitted it to the Yellow Ribbon mailbox. The digital form no longer allows for joint processing by both the SCO and an authorizing official. Consequently, schools must establish internal concurrence procedures if a SCO acts as the Authorizing Official. Please note that the person completing this form will now sign and submit it digitally as the Authorizing Official. This agreement must be signed by an official with the legal authority to bind the institution into a legal agreement with VA. Authenticating with ID.me or LOGIN.GOV serves as your official electronic signature.

The FAQs and portal link are available at http://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill/yellow_ribbon/yellow_ribbon_info_schools.asp.

Schools participating in the Yellow Ribbon Program for the 2026-2027 academic year should be posted to our website in July 2026.

Please immediately notify your school President and/or financial representative, if appropriate, to ensure that they are aware of this information and understand that any modifications to existing agreements and any new agreements must be submitted no later than May 15, 2026. Please inform students that the listing of institutions participating in the Yellow Ribbon Program for the 2026-2027 academic year will not be reflected on VA’s website until July 2026.

Thank you for your interest in the Post-9/11 GI Bill Yellow Ribbon Program.

Respectfully,

VA Education Service

If you know a Veteran who is in crisis,

call the Veterans Crisis Line at 988 press 1.