Office of Veteran Services Student Information Guide on

Office of Veteran Services Student Information Guide on VA Education Benefits Are you using VA Education Benefits while attending Pearl River Community College? Please read through these slides carefully, as some points may be of special interest to you. The information covered here may help you understand your benefits better. If you find that you have questions, feel free to reach out to the Office of Veteran Services. va@prcc. edu 601 -403 -1211 Gloria Wasmund Certifying Official By appointment: Poplarville/Hattiesburg/Waveland On the web: http: //prcc. edu/admissions/veteran-services GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U. S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U. S. government Web site at http: //www. benefits. va. gov/gibill.

VA Education Benefit Chapters 30 Montgomery 31 GI Bill® - Active Duty 1606 Montgomery GI Bill® - Selected Reserve Vocational Rehabilitation & Employment 35 Dependents Education Assistance 33 Post 9/11 GI Bill® Remember…benefits are unique to the individual. The school will not know which benefit you are entitled to receive. 2

Required Documentation 1 2 Transcripts An official transcript must be received from any previous college, trade school, or training facility attended (even if you did not finish). All Veterans and Service Members must submit a military transcript; the VA requires that the school have this in your official PRCC VA file. Intake Form Establishes your file in the Office of Veteran Services at PRCC; it will let us know your intentions. If you sit out for a period of time, you may be required to complete the form again in order to update your information. 3 4 5 Request for VA Certification Form This form is required for every semester that you want your enrollment submitted “certified” to the VA; the form should not be submitted until you have finalized your schedule. Your PRCC Counselor or Advisor must approve your course selection by signing the certification request form. Degree Plan Your PRCC Advisor must complete a degree plan for you whenever you register for classes. The PRCC VA file must contain a copy of this plan. Misc. Documentation 1. Your Certificate of Eligibility, or other documents showing your eligibility for benefits, must be on file with the PRCC VA office. If you change your major, an updated degree plan must be submitted. Additionally, the VA requires additional documentation that must be completed and kept on file at the school. 2. If you are using Chapter 1606, you must provide your NOBE; typically obtained from the Education Officer with your unit. 3. Occasionally, your DD 214 may be requested. As well as any specific documents requested by the Certifying Official 3

The Role of Previous Coursework/Credits (earned and/or attempted) All students who have attended any previous institution - another college, vocational school, or training facility - must submit official transcripts to PRCC for admission. The VA stipulates that the Certifying Official will not certify courses that have already been successfully completed. (Cannot certify a repeated course just to receive a higher grade. ) Additionally, the VA stipulates that if a course is required for a stated objective, and the student has already taken a course that meets that objective, another course cannot be certified in its place. Therefore, all transcripts must be provided before it can be determined which courses can be certified to the VA. 4

Military Credit Veterans and Service members are required to submit a military transcript. • Joint Services Transcript (JST) • Community College of the Air Force Transcript Request • If it is determined that you have You are encouraged to applicable experience, credit may request an evaluation of your be awarded to you. • If you change your major, you may military transcript. request another review. Typically, • Upon request, the review for military credit is completed within 4 -6 weeks. • If credits are assessed, they will be posted within the first semester. 5

How Course Selection Affects You Common Scenarios: “Only 9 hours of my schedule is certified, but I am taking 15 hours. I’m full time, so shouldn’t I get full pay? ” - No, if you are certified for only 9 hours, your pay will be based on those 9 hours. (The VA will only pay you based on your certified hours - specific to each day of attendance. ) “I took English Comp at XYZ University, but I made a D. Since D’s don’t transfer, I need to take it again. ” - Unfortunately, the VA stipulates that if the score is “passing, ” and the overall GPA is sufficient for graduation, then the current English Comp class cannot be certified for benefits. “I previously attended XYZ University, but I need to come to PRCC to get my GPA up…” - PRCC may allow you to do this, but the VA will still require that you follow the rules. 1. You must be following a specific degree plan, and 2. You cannot be certified for courses that you have already taken. It is possible that you may have to cover some courses at your own expense if your sole purpose is to increase your GPA. “I am in a Career Technical program, but I had to take a PE class to make a full-time schedule…” - The VA will consider your “program” classes, but the PE class cannot be certified for benefits since it is not a requirement for any of the Career Technical programs. FYI: Chapter 33 students, the amount of tuition that the school is allowed to bill the VA will be reduced by the correlating charges, and you will owe PRCC for the PE class. 6

How Course Dates Affect You “semester” vs. “calendar days” of training MAT 1313 (3 hours): 08/15/2018 – 12/09/2018 PSY 1513 (3 hours): Your classes at PRCC may look like this: 08/15/2018 – 12/09/2018 BIO 1114 (4 hours): 08/15/2018 – 12/09/2018 ENG 1123 (3 hours): 10/06/2018 – 12/09/2018 HIS 1173 (3 hours): Certifications to the VA will look like this: August 15 10/06/2018 – 12/09/2018 Disclaimer: This is only an example of course dates; the same basic principle applies for all terms of enrollment. 10 Hours: 08/15/2018 – 12/09/2018 6 Hours: 10/06/2018 – 12/09/2018 10 credit hours October 6 December 9 6 credit hours December 9 This means that you will not be full time every calendar day of this term. Unlike the Department of Education, the VA does not look at the total amount of hours that you have each semester to determine your enrollment. Instead, they look at each start and end date as a separate enrollment. **Therefore, if you depend on pay that is based on full-time status for every calendar day of the semester, you need to make sure that your PRCC advisor is aware of this whenever you make your schedule and plan accordingly. Note: *The VA has indicated that shorter (non-standard) terms of enrollment may count more heavily towards full-time status because of the amount of content covered in a shorter period of time. Therefore, if you are enrolled in is a short-term course, it may take fewer hours to be considered full time. If at any time you have questions, contact the PRCC VA Representative for assistance. 7

My friend got a check for $$$, but mine was only $$. What’s up with that? Think about this Uh oh… Maybe, • Maybe your friend receives a different type of VA Education Benefit than you. There may be a difference if you receive a different chapter of benefit. • Certain benefit chapters must do a monthly verification of attendance (at the end of each month). Did you do yours? • Do you have the exact same schedule? The start and end date, hours enrolled during those dates, and the type of classes taken may all play a significant role in this issue. maybe not Well… Remember • Does your friend have a kicker contract? A kicker can add to monthly pay, but even with a kicker you may receive a different amount than your friend. Students with the same chapter of benefit can receive different amounts if their kicker contract is for different amounts. • If you think that the scenarios above do not apply, first check with the PRCC VA Rep. But, only the VA can address your payment issues (payment not received, less pay than usual, etc. ). What does this mean? The VA issues benefits based on individual service records. Your friend got a check based on his/her records. Your check is based on yours. 8

Where does the money go? § Chapters 1606 (MGIB-SR) and 30 (MGIB-AD) § Paid on a monthly basis, in arrears, directly to the student Student must submit a monthly verification of enrollment, no sooner than the last calendar day of each month of training; this can be done online via WAVE or by calling the automated system at 1 -877 -823 -2378. Remember that your file/claim number is your SSN § Chapter 31 (Vocational Rehabilitation & Employment) § § § Monthly Subsistence Allowance: paid directly to the student Tuition/Fees: paid to the school, upon invoicing (by the school) Chapter 33 (Post 9/11) § § BAH and Book/Supply Stipend: paid on a monthly basis, in arrears, directly to the student Tuition/Fees: paid to the school, upon invoicing (by the school) (PRCC typically invoices prior to mid-term during the regular semester, and after July 1 during the summer semester; this may occasionally vary, depending on the individual student’s schedule) § Chapter 35 (DEA) § Paid on a monthly basis, in arrears, directly to the student Wait, so that means that I have to pay my bill? !? Yes, it is your responsibility to make sure that your balance is paid in full each semester. (Even students using Chapters 33 and 31 can potentially have expenses that are not be covered by the VA. ) 9

Student Debt to the VA Oh, no! I’ve been dropped/withdrawn from some of my courses! What’s going to happen? !? According to the VA, they will only pay for what you finish. For instance, if you start with 9 hours, and drop to 6 hours, you will owe the VA for any difference that this reduction in hours will cause (this could be for tuition/fees and/or the difference in housing allowance – for the term). This will apply if you: *completely withdraw from school *are full time and then reduce to part time * or any circumstance that causes a reduction in your credits *are administratively cut/withdrawn from course(s) *request, and are certified, for a class that you have already successfully completed The VA will contact you about the reduction and your debt. 10

Essentials of Clear Communication You must inform the School Certifying Official if: Between student and school • You enroll, add, drop, withdraw • You experience changes in enrollment that are due to circumstances beyond your control: death in your immediate family, personal health reasons, an unexpected change in work obligation (relocating for work) • You change your major • Your Chapter of VA Education Benefits changes You must inform the VA if: Between student and VA • You change schools • You have been out of school for a long period of time and are now returning • Your direct deposit needs to be updated 11

Just a Few Responsibilities of the Certifying Official (The Results of that Clear Communication) The School Certifying Official is required to monitor and/or report the following to the VA: Certifying Student Enrollment to the VA (hours, type (on campus, online, etc. ), start and end dates of courses, etc. ) **Remember: until you let me know you’re in school, I can’t report it to the VA and you won’t get paid. Changes of enrollment (any change to the student’s schedule: add/drop, withdrawal, cut, etc. ) Monitor courses registered by the student to guarantee that the course applies to the stated program of study; courses that do not apply or have already been completed cannot be certified Monitor grades for satisfactory progress and report academic suspension/probation Monitor student’s conduct and report when a student is suspended from school, or has been dismissed for unsatisfactory conduct 12

Online Resources Go. Army. Ed Federal Tuition Assistance (ARMY) Students must bring their authorization to the school’s VA Representative for processing SEAP State Education Assistance Program of Mississippi For students in the MSNG who are not yet eligible for funds through Federal Tuition Assistance DOD Transferability How to Transfer VA Education Benefits to a spouse or dependent GI Bill® Comparison Tool Learn about your benefits This tool can also show you the payment rate for your school e. Benefits is a personalized one-stop shop for online benefitsrelated info (New users must create an account) Secure Internet Inquiries and Upload Capabilities between student and the VA: From the GI Bill® home page click on the “Submit a Question” link. (New users must create an account) Note: Providing state of residence or state of school will expedite your inquiry. 13

VA Contact Information 1 -877 -823 -2378 • Monthly Verification of Enrollment 1 -877 -838 -2778 • Direct Deposit Enrollment 1 -800 -827 -0648 • VA Debt Management Center 1 -888 -442 -4551 • VA Education Benefits Call Center VA Regional Processing Office • P O Box 8888, Muskogee, OK 74402 -8888 (required for Chapters 30 and 1606) Hours: Monday-Friday, 7 am-6 pm (CST) 14

This is an informational guide only. It has been specifically designed to help PRCC student veterans and dependents understand the VA Education Benefits program while enrolled. These slides have been brought to you exclusively by the PRCC Office of Veteran Services. If you find information that you believe is in error, or if you have questions that have not been answered within these slides, please feel free to contact the office for further assistance. Member Institution 601 -403 -1211 By appointment: Poplarville/Hattiesburg/Waveland On the web: http: //prcc. edu/admissions/veteran-services Pearl River Community College offers equal education and employment opportunities. The College does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, veteran status, or disability. For inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies or to request accommodations, special assistance, or alternate format publication please contact Tonia Moody Seal, Director of Admissions and Records, and ADA/Civil Rights Coordinator, at P. O. Box 5537, Poplarville, MS 39470 or 601 -403 -1060. For inquiries regarding Title IX, contact Maghan James, Assistant Vice President of Student Services and Title IX Coordinator, P. O. Box 5560, Poplarville, MS 39470 or 601 -403 -1253.