Veterans Affairs
The Financial Aid/Veterans office acts as liaison to the Veterans Administration and assists veterans and their dependents in reaching their educational goals. Below are the current programs available to eligible veterans, service persons and dependents seeking assistance for education. Active duty personnel are reimbursed only for actual tuition and fees.
Post-9/11 G.I. Bill® (Chapter 33)
To be eligible, a student must have served at least 90 aggregate days on active duty
after Sept. 10, 2001, and still be on active duty, honorably discharged, retired,
or released from active duty for further service in a reserve component. A student
may also be eligible if they were honorably discharged from active duty for a service-connected
disability and served 30 continuous days after Sept. 10, 2001.
www.va.gov/education/about-gi-bill-benefits/post-9-11/
Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR& E Chapter 31)
For service members and veterans with service-connected disabilities
www.va.gov/careers-employment/vocational-rehabilitation/
Information for students using Post 9/11 G.I. Bill® benefits (Chapter 33) or Veteran
Readiness and Employment (Chapter 31)
A student using Post 9/11 G.I. Bill® benefits or Veteran Readiness and Employment
and Employment benefits may enroll and attend courses and access campus facilities
while the campus awaits payment for tuition and fees from the VA. While waiting for
receipt of funds from the VA, Allan Hancock College will not charge or otherwise penalize
Post 9/11 G.I. Bill® and Veteran Readiness and Employment students.
For eligibility consideration, a Post 9/11 G.I. Bill® student must submit a VA Certificate
of Eligibility (COE) or Post -911 GI Bill® Enrollment/Entitlement Status:
www.ebenefits.va.gov/ebenefits/about/feature?feature=post-911-gi-bill-enrollment-status.
The veteran’s VR&E counselor will electronically provide a VAF 28-1905 to the School
Certifying Official.
Additional information requested by the School Certifying Official to certify enrollment to the VA:
- DD-214 (Veteran student only, member 4 copy)
- Official prior college and military transcripts
- Student Education Plan (SEP) prepared by an academic counselor
For more information regarding this policy, contact the School Certifying Official.
G.I. Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Additional information regarding education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government website at www.benefits.va.gov/gibill.
Montgomery GI Bill (Chapter 30)
The Montgomery GI Bill Active Duty (MGIB-AD) can help students pay for education and
training programs. Students who served at least two years on active duty, can find
out if they qualify for the MGIB-AD program.
www.va.gov/education/about-gi-bill-benefits/montgomery-active-duty/
Montgomery GI Bill Selected Reserve (MGIB-SR/Formerly Chapter 1606)
The Montgomery GI Bill Selected Reserve (MGIB-SR) program offers up to 36 months of
education and training benefits. Students who are a member of the Army, Navy, Air
Force, Marine Corps or Coast Guard Reserve, Army National Guard, or Air National Guard,
may be eligible for this benefit.
www.va.gov/education/about-gi-bill-benefits/montgomery-selected-reserve/
Reserve Educational Assistance Program (REAP/Formerly Chapter 1607)
Reserve Educational Assistance Program (REAP) ended on November 25, 2015, but under
the National Defense Authorization Act of 2016, some REAP benefits will remain in
place for 3 more years. Learn more about what this change means www.va.gov/education/other-va-education-benefits/reap/
Veterans’ Educational Assistance Program (VEAP)
Students may be able to continue their education by using part of their military pay to help cover the cost of school. www.va.gov/education/other-va-education-benefits/veap/
VA Education Benefits for Survivors and Dependents Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational
Assistance (DEA/Chapter 35)
Students who are a dependent, spouse, or child—or the surviving spouse or child—of
a veteran, you may qualify for Chapter 35 benefits or job training through a GI Bill
program.
Additional information requested by the School Certifying Official to certify enrollment to the VA:
- DD-214 (Veteran student only, member 4 copy)
- Official prior college and military transcripts
- Student Education Plan (SEP) prepared by an academic counselor
www.va.gov/education/survivor-dependent-benefits/
Fry Scholarship
The Marine Gunnery Sergeant John David Fry Scholarship (Fry Scholarship), a scholarship
for children and dependents of veterans. If student's parent or spouse was an active-duty
service member who died in the line of duty on or after September 11, 2001, they may
qualify for this benefit. www.va.gov/education/survivor-dependent-benefits/fry-scholarship/
Edith Nourse Rogers Science Technology Engineering Math (STEM) Scholarship
The Rogers STEM Scholarship will provide up to nine months of additional Post-9/11
GI Bill benefits (to a maximum of $30,000) to qualifying veterans and Fry Scholars
seeking an undergraduate STEM degree or who have earned a STEM degree and are seeking a teaching certification.
www.benefits.va.gov/gibill/fgib/stem.asp
Cal Vet College Fee Waiver
The College Fee Waiver for Veteran Dependents benefit waives mandatory system-wide
tuition and fees at any State of California Community College, California State University,
or University of California campus. This program does not cover the expense of books,
parking, or room and board.
Students must meet the California residency requirements as determined by the college: www.calvet.ca.gov/VetServices/Pages/College-Fee-Waiver.aspx
Academic Requirements
All VA recipients are required to maintain satisfactory progress toward their educational
objective and a minimum grade point average of 2.00 (C) for each period of enrollment.
A separate Veterans’ Bulletin outlining standards of progress and attendance is available
to all veterans. It is essential that all recipients are thoroughly familiar with
these federally mandated standards.
Evaluation is required to allow credit for prior training, including college, military, and correspondence school. Military evaluations may be obtained free for those who have entered service since Oct. 1, 1981.
All students must have an approved Student Education Plan (SEP) prepared by a counselor no later than the end of the first period of enrollment. Entering students who have earned 24 or more units will not be certified for VA assistance until the course requirement list is prepared. All transcripts and military evaluations must be on file prior to this counseling. VA policy prohibits payment for any course not required for graduation in the student’s stated objective.
Further information for benefits may be obtained from the Financial Aid/Veterans office 805-922-6966 ext. 3200, Student Services, bldg. A, Santa Maria campus; the Lompoc Valley Center, and Vandenberg SFB center; or at the Santa Barbara County Veterans Service Offices: www.cacvso.org/santa-barbara-county-office/ or the San Luis Obispo County Veterans Service Office: www.cacvso.org/san-luis-obispo-county-office/.