Veteran Education Benefits
The Veteran Services Center assists student veterans with certification needs for veteran educational benefits. The office is is located at the Ft. McIntosh Campus in the Lerma Pena Building # 250.
- Chapter 30 Montgomery GI Bill® - Active Duty Educational Assistance Program
- Chapter 31: Vocational Rehabilitation
- Chapter 33: Post 9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008
- Chapter 35: Dependent's Educational Assistance Program
- Chapter 1606: Montgomery GI Bill® - Selected Reserve Educational Assistance Program
- Chapter 1607: Reserve Educational Assistance Program
Enrollment may be approved only for a program leading to either an Associate in Arts degree or an Associate in Applied Science degree, or any occupational (certificate) program offered at Laredo College.
A student who is receiving VA educational benefits must maintain a 2.0 grade point average to be considered making satisfactory progress.
Students who fail to achieve the cumulative GPA of 2.0, shall be placed on probation for one semester or summer term. If the student fails to achieve a cumulative grade point average of a 2.0 at the end of the probationary semester, the student will be reported to the Veterans Administration as making unsatisfactory academic progress and veteran benefits will be suspended. It is the responsibility of the students veteran to comply with satisfactory academic progress.
Veterans using the Hazlewood Act must submit an application of eligibility every semester/session to the Student Financial Aid & Veteran Affairs Services Center for exemption of payment of tuition. The documents verifying eligibility for exemption of the payment of tuition must be submitted to the Student Financial Aid & Veteran Affairs Services Center prior to the census date of each semester/session for which the student is claiming the benefits. The following documents must be submitted before qualifying for tuition exemption under the Hazlewood Act:
- Fill out the Hazlewood application which can be found at www.tvc.state.tx.us
- Provide proof of eligibility or ineligibility for GI Bill® benefits (Chapter 31, 33/Post-9/11) by requesting a certificate of eligibility for federal education benefits online at www.vets.gov or www.ebenefits.gov(if Veteran has active duty service after 9/11/2001)
- DD Form 214,Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty
A veteran student qualifies for the Hazlewood Act exemption if the veteran was a U.S. citizen and a resident of Texas, served at least 181 days of active military duty and received an honorable discharge, separation, or a general discharge under honorable conditions. Students should be currently in Texas and are not in default on any Federal Education loans.
Note:The Hazlewood Benefit is not a benefit under the Department of Veterans Affairs. It is a benefit passed by the Texas Legislature for Texas Veterans Only. To qualify, the Veteran must have been a Texas resident as stated on their DD Form 214 when they entered the military or entered the military in Texas (i.e. Home of Record at time of entry or Place of Entry into Active Duty). This program is administered by Laredo College Veterans Affairs Services Center in compliance with the Texas Hazlewood Law. There are no exceptions to the requirements to qualify for the benefit. All forms must be filled out and submitted each semester before the 12th class day.No late applications for benefits will be accepted after the 12th class day (official reporting day) and the Hazlewood Benefit cannot be applied retroactively for past semesters.
Child (Legacy Act)
Eligible veterans may assign unused hours of exemption eligibility to a child under certain conditions. To be eligible, the child must:
- Be a Texas resident;
- Be the biological child, stepchild, adopted child. or claimed as a dependent in the current or previous tax year;
- Be 25 years or younger on the first day of the semester or term for which the exemption is claimed (unless granted an extension due to a qualifying illness or debilitating condition); and
- Make satisfactory academic progress in a degree, certificate, or continuing education program as determined by the institution.
If a child to whom hours have been delegated fails to use all of the assigned hours, a veteran may re-assign the unused hours that to another dependent child.
A veteran's spouse or a child's guardian, conservator, custodian, or other legally designated caretaker may re-assign unused hours to an eligible child (through Legacy) on behalf of the veterans if the veteran died prior to requesting the transfer of hours (documentation required).
Academic Progress
All students must meet satisfactory academic progress toward a degree or certificate in accordance with the institution’s policy regarding eligibility for financial aid. Veterans and/or dependents will be expected to maintain academic standards as outlined in this Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) policy for the purposes of receiving Veterans Educational Benefits. Veterans and Dependents must maintain a minimum overall GPA of 2.0 or better and successfully complete at least 67% of the coursework attempted each term to be considered in good standing.
Effective for Fall 2014, the Texas Legislature approved Senate Bill 1210 which states that recipients of Texas state exemptions and/or waivers must meet Financial Aid satisfactory academic progress (SAP) requirements of a grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 for undergraduate students at all times and recipients must not be in excess hours status.
It is the student’s responsibility to inform the Student Financial Aid & Veteran Affairs Services Center of any changes in enrollment status.
Veterans with previous college or university training are required to have transcripts from other schools on file with the Student Financial Aid & Veteran Affairs Services Center before being considered for certification under the Veterans Administration. In addition, it is the responsibility of each student to request the required transcripts.
Academic Probation
Schools that have an academic progress policy allowing for a period of academic probation prior to termination for Unsatisfactory Progress (Academic Suspension) should notify VA promptly when a student receiving VA education benefits is placed on academic probation.
Unsatisfactory Progress, Conduct and Attendance
The law requires that educational assistance benefits to Veterans and other eligible persons be discontinued when the student ceases to make satisfactory progress toward completion of his or her training objective.
Both accredited and non-accredited schools are required by law to have and to enforce standards of progress and conduct in order for their programs to be approved for VA benefits. Only non-accredited schools are required by federal law to have attendance standards. These standards should be stated plainly in the school's catalog or bulletin. A school's policy and regulations for standards of progress, conduct and attendance must define:
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Conditions for interruption of training due to unsatisfactory grades or progress
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A description of any probationary period
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Conditions for a student's re-entrance or readmission following dismissal or suspension for unsatisfactory progress
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Conditions for dismissal due to unsatisfactory conduct
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The school's attendance policy
When a student has failed to maintain prescribed standards of progress, VA must be informed promptly so that benefit payments can be discontinued in accordance with the law. The termination date assigned by the school will be the last day of the term or other evaluation period in which the student’s progress became unsatisfactory. Schools that provide a period of academic probation may not continue to certify a Veteran or eligible person (who remains in a probationary status) for an indefinite period of time. It is reasonable to expect that an institution will report a termination due to unsatisfactory progress if a student remains on academic probation beyond 2 terms, quarters, or semesters.
Repeating Courses
Classes that are successfully completed may not be certified again for VA purposes if they are repeated courses. However, if a student fails a class, or if a program requires a higher grade than the one achieved in a particular class for successful completion, that class may be repeated and certified to VA again.
Example 1: if a Nursing program requires a “B” or better in Biology, then that class may be repeated if a “B” or better was not earned. That requirement must be in the school catalog.
Example 2: If a course is required for graduation, a student may repeat the course and be certified for it until it is successfully completed. No further information needs to be provided to VA regarding those courses.
Example 3: If a student chooses to repeat a course that was successfully completed, just to improve their GPA, that course cannot be certified to VA.
**Three peat fees are not covered by VA or Hazlewood benefits**
Concurrent Enrollment
A student may take courses at more than one school that apply to his or her degree. The school that will grant the degree is the student’s “primary” school. All other schools are “secondary” schools.
VA can pay benefits for courses taken at secondary schools. If the student is only enrolled at the secondary school (supplemental enrollment), VA will pay for the credits taken at the secondary school. If the student is enrolled at the primary school and the secondary school at the same time (concurrent enrollment), VA will pay for the combined credit, taking overlapping enrollment dates into account.
Hazlewood recipients are allowed to use their benefits if concurrently enrolled at two institutions.Each college/university granting Hazlewood Act benefits must document the Veteran’s eligibility and must observe the 150-hour limit.
**Both VA and Hazlewood students are responsible for notifying the VA coordinator at each institution of their enrollment. A parent institution letter must be provided from the primary school. Only courses listed in the primary school letter will be certified.
Fees not covered by VA or Hazlewood
Penalty fees (late registration, repeated course fees, add or drop course fees and student service fees and activity fees (Hazlewood students).
For more detailed information on all VA Benefits please visit www.gibill.va.gov and Texas Veterans Commission on all information related to Hazlewood benefits www.tvc.state.tx.us.