Frequently Asked Questions
FAQ for Processing VA Military and Veterans Benefits
Students are to submit their Certificate of Eligibility from the VA or any additional documents requested to the Military Benefits Processing center via email at va.benefits@mgccc.edu.
The Verification of Enrollment and Change of Schedule forms are to be completed online. The forms are automatically sent directly to Military Benefits when it is submitted.
Verification of Enrollment
Schedule Change Form
Students can complete an application for VA benefits at https://www.va.gov
Students can apply for benefits as soon as they decide to attend college. The sooner the better.
Transfer students must complete a Change Place of Training or Program form (22-1995 or 22-5495 for Chapter 35) at https://www.va.gov. Students also need to submit the updated COE to Military Benefits Processing Center once received from VA.
Students must seek advisement from an Enrollment Specialists on the campus they are attending to request a change of major. Students are to notify the VA Benefits Processing Center about the change of major via email at va.benefits@mgccc.edu and attach a copy of the new degree plan. VA students should not change their major in the middle of a semester as it will cause a review of the current certification and may cause a debt. All major changes submitted after classes begin, or the student has been certified will not be applied until the next semester.
Students who drop a class after it begins and/or after it has already been certified, the certification and benefits will be adjusted to reflect the change and it may create a debt with the VA and/or MGCCC.
All schedule changes should be reported to the Military Benefits Processing Center as soon as possible to avoid or minimize debt. Students should always meet with an advisor or Enrollment Specialists prior to changing his or her schedule to assure the courses are required for his or her major.
No, the VA requires all official transcripts to be on file to evaluate previous credit before the VA School Certifying Official can certify a student’s enrollment to the VA. If a student cannot get his or her transcript from prior institutions, the student should contact the prior institution and try to resolve the situation.
Yes. All students are encouraged to apply for Financial Aid to help with education costs. You can apply for Financial Aid on the FAFSA website https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa (MGCCC’s FAFSA School Code is 002417).
Yes you can; however, the effects will depend on the type of scholarship awarded and the chapter of benefit being used. Students using Chapter 33 (Post 9/11) and receive a tuition base scholarship, the amount of the scholarship will be deducted from the amount billed the VA. Additional fees not covered by the scholarship can be submitted for certification. Scholarship recipients need to see the School Certifying Official to verify any effects it may have on their benefits.
Joint Services Transcript (JST) at https://jst.doded.mil
For instructions on how to request a transcript from Community College of the Air Force (CCAAF) see Community College of the Air Force Transcripts.
Yes. The VA will pay for online courses; however, Chapter 33 (Post 9/11) students will only receive half of the BAH if taking all online classes.
VA does not pay for a class that is not specifically required for your major, or if you are repeating a class you have previously passed with a “D” or better.
Special provisions regarding in-state residency are provided for military members and their dependents. (See MGCCC Catalog – Residency) To be considered for in-state tuition status, proper documentation must be provided to the Military Benefits Processing Center (students using benefits will need a Certificate of Eligibility, Students not using benefits will need a copy of their current military orders ).
The VA considers full time as 12 semester hours per term (same start and end date) not a semester for the fall and spring and 7 semester hours for the summer term (same start and end date).
We cannot give an exact time frame a student will receive payment from the VA. Once the School Certifying Official submits a student’s certification to the VA it automatically generates an email to the student’s MGCCC email letting him or her know that it has been sent to VA for processing. Certifications are done on a first come first serve basis. If you have not received payment information within three weeks after your certification was submitted to the VA please contact the VA at 1-888-442-4551.