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Study Or Program Plan (back to top)
"What do you plan to study
here at Polk Community College?" As a veteran, that is likely
to be the first question you will be asked when you begin to
discuss your application with one of the Academic Advisors. It
is a very important one for you to answer for the Department
of Veteran's Affairs as well as for yourself. The V.A. will approve
only those applications that are specific about what a student's
major will be. That does not mean that you can never
change your mind; however you should make a good
program choice in the beginning and make changes only for the
very best of reasons.
In order to assist you in this
process and to notify you of the requirements for graduation,
our Academic Advisors are ready to help you construct a plan
for graduation, also referred to as a program plan. You will have a copy
of this plan to bring with you when it is time to select your
courses. You may periodically check your progress by consulting with
your advisors.
G.I. Bill For Veterans (back to top)
Veterans Education Assistance Program (Chapter 32): Veterans
who served on active duty between January 1, 1977 and June 30,
1985, and who contributed to a V.E.A.P. fund are eligible. Rates
depend on the amount of the veteran contribution and any "kickers"
added by the Department of Defense.
Montgomery G.I. Bill (Chapter
30): For Veterans who entered active duty on July 1, 1985 or
later and served 3 years active or 2 years active and 4 years
selected reserve. Basic entitlement is $300.00 per month for
full time attendance. The Department of Defense may add supplements
to the basic amount based on additional enlistments of billets
in critical shortage areas.
G.I. Bill For Reservists (back to top)
Reservists who meet the eligibility requirements (Chapter 1606)
will obtain a Notice of Basic Eligibility (Form 2384) from the
reserve unit.
Application For Benefits (back to top)
Reservists and veterans applying for the first time must complete the
application for benefits (VA Form 220-1990) available in the
Financial Aid Office. Veterans will be required to submit a certified
copy of Form DD-214. A certified copy may be obtained by submitting
the original to the Clerk of the Court in any county courthouse
or branch. This procedure also protects the original by having
it microfilmed for future use. Applications and supporting documents
may be submitted to the Financial Aid Office for mailing to the V.A.
Veterans and reservists who have
previously received V.A. educational benefits at another school
will complete Form 22-1995, also referred to as a Request for Change of
Program or Place of Training form.
G.I. Bill For Dependents (back to top)
The key to eligibility for the spouses and children of veterans,
(Chapter 35) is the service-connected death or permanent and
total disability of the veteran. Dependents can apply by completing VA Form
22-5490. Since all veterans are identified by a V.A. file number,
it is vital that this number is included on the application.
Dependents who are transferring from another school or applying
after a long delay will use V.A. Form 5495.
Substantiate Prior Training (back to top)
The Veteran's Affairs Office is required to evaluate any
prior training a student may have had and how it can be applied to a
current program.
This means that if you have attended another college or university,
or earned credit by examination, you should submit all academic
transcripts to the Admissions Office as soon as possible. If
this information is not forwarded to the V.A. within a reasonable
period of time, they may terminate benefits until it is reported.
Application For Admissions
At PCC (back
to top)
This application is a separate process and is done independently
of the application for Educational Benefits. Students can apply online
at www.facts.org. The Admissions Office
will supply a course catalog (including
all program offerings and course descriptions), a PCC schedule
booklet with the college calendar (including important
dates that will affect registration) and the schedule of courses
for the given term.
Calculation Of Training Time (back to top)
Fall and Spring Terms:
Full time= 12 or more
credit hours
3/4 time= 9-11 credit
hours
1/2 time= 6-8 credit
hours
<l/2 time= 1-5 credit
hoursSummer terms and other non-standard
enrollment periods are measured by the number of classroom hours
per week.
NOTE: For enrollment of less than 1/2 time, there is a lump sum payment
for fees only.
NOTE: Certain courses meeting on a calendar other than
our standard 26 week semester may be measured differently than
the information specified above.
Standards Of Progress
(back
to top)
The Veterans Administration requires each college to stipulate the conditions for continued eligibility for educational
benefits. The following statement has been adopted by the PCC
Board of Trustees and represents college policy.
The following standards apply
to eligibility for V.A. Educational Benefits and do not override
any policy regarding eligibility to attend the college.
A. Eligible veterans and dependent
students who have earned less than 30 credit hours will be certified
to the Veterans Administration as long as they maintain sufficient
academic standing to avoid the category "Academic Warning"
as described in the Polk Community College catalog.
B. Eligible veteran and dependent
students who have earned 30 credit hours or more must have a
minimum cumulative G.P.A. of 2.00 in order to be certified to
the Veterans Administration.
C. The college will monitor the
veteran's progress towards a degree by requiring each eligible
person to have an approved program plan (also referred to as a Degree
Audit) on file in his or her
permanent record. This plan of approved courses will constitute
an agreement between the college and the eligible person regarding
requirements for graduation and approved courses for V.A. certification.
The eligible person will not be certified for courses omitted from
this list or unrelated to his or her V.A. program. Degree Audits can be
obtained from an academic advisor.
Certification of Enrollment (back to top)
The Financial Aid Office will make every effort to see that you
are properly certified for your enrollment within two weeks after
the drop and add period ends. However, it is the responsibility
of the eligible person to inform the office if any problems with
certification arise.
Retroactive Repayment (back to top)
Public Law 94-502 prohibits the Veteran's Administration from
paying a veteran for any course which does not factor in computing
his/her progress towards graduation. This means that any course
in which you receive a "W" or an "I" will not be counted toward
your Veteran's Educational Benefits for the term in question.
It also means that an overpayment will be created retroactively
from the first day of the term.
For example, consider a student
enrolled in four courses equaling 12 semester hours who is
being paid for full time benefits for the four month semester.
At the end of this semester, that student fails to complete two
of these courses and receives a grade of "W."
Since the student successfully
completed only six semester hours, or half of his/her full-time load,
he or she would be eligible then for only half time benefits
for the term in question. Because he or she was paid for full-time benefits, half of the amount that he or she
received for
that particular period would be considered an overpayment. As
you can see, this is not reported until the end of the term,
and can come as quite a shock to the veteran or dependent student.
The same provision applies if
the veteran drops or withdraws before the semester ends. The
Veteran's Administration will adjust the veteran's rate immediately
and contact the veteran by mail to inform him or her of the overpayment.
Forgiveness Policy (back to top)
An eligible person may be required to repay an amount earned
for a course that is later forgiven by the college policy. This
would include any course that is repeated where the most recent
grade is the one used for computing graduation credit. Benefits
received for taking the course the first time are determined
to be an overpayment and the recipient will be billed.
"Mitigating Circumstances"
(back
to top)
This is the phrase used by the V.A. that refers to your reasons for
receiving a letter grade
of "W" or "I." If you have reasons that prove you were
making a genuine effort to complete the course but could not,
the V.A. will consider waiving repayment of the benefits
used. You are allotted 30 days to submit your "mitigating circumstances"
to the V.A.
In the event that the V.A. agrees
that the circumstances are such that the student could not avoid
the "W" or "I" grade, they will cancel the overpayment. Please
remember, proof of mitigating circumstances is produced by the veteran
and submitted directly to the V.A. The college does not play a
part in this process.
Please note, in cases where the student
has received an "I" grade, the student must contact their professor to
resolve the issue, and notify the Financial Aid Office once resolved.
Student Course Load (back to top)
As a result of the aforementioned retroactive repayment provisions, it is very important
for the veteran to consider the amount of course work to plan
for. Clearly, a student undertaking a heavy enrollment schedule
in spite of other commitments takes a chance on failing one or
more subjects.
As a rule of thumb, a veteran with a full-time job can excel with
half-time enrollment. The particularly dedicated veteran
can easily handle three-quarter time enrollment. It is the rare
student who can manage full-time employment and full-time schooling.
Veteran Class (back to top)
At the beginning of each term, PCC
professors outline their policies regarding attendance. The professor
has the prerogative to withdraw a student from class when the
policy is violated. In some cases, circumstances beyond the student's
control can be considered by the professor. In many cases, there
is simply not enough time for the student to make up work missed
before the term ends. Professors are encouraged to enforce attendance
policies promptly in order to keep the amount of student overpayment
down.
Veterans' Deferment (back to top)
State law provides that under certain
circumstances the veteran can be offered an opportunity to have
tuition and fees deferred for up to 60 days (35 days in the case
of summer terms). This date for payment has no bearing on the date that
your V.A. benefits become available to you. If you discover
that your V.A. check will be late, it will be necessary for you
to take other steps to pay this debt.
Academic Counseling (back to top)
Veterans must seek counseling each term from the designated V.A.
Academic Advisor on either campus. A Degree Audit from an Academic
Advisor must be submitted to the Financial Aid Office before
certification of classes will occur. Counseling
with an advisor should be completed
before each semester begins. |
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