Veterans Educational Benefits Trinity Valley Community College is approved by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, so that eligible veterans, servicepersons, and certain dependents of veterans can receive VA educational benefits. Eligible persons may receive benefits under one of several types of GI Bill: • Chapter 30 - Montgomery GI Bill • Chapter 31 - Disabled Veterans Vocational Rehabilitation Program. • Chapter 32 - Veterans Educational Assistance Program (VEAP) • Chapter 33 – Post 9/11 GI Bill • Chapter 35 - Dependents Educational Assistance Program • Chapter 1606 - Montgomery GI Bill/Selected Reserve Educational Assistance Program. • Chapter 1607 - Reserve Educational Assistance Program (REAP)   Visit http://www.gibill.va.gov  for more information   The Veterans Services Office is not the Veterans Administration. We do not determine your eligibility for veterans benefits. We do, however, provide you with the appropriate paperwork to apply to the VA for benefits. We are responsible for certifying your enrollment status to the VA, which is what gets you paid. The VA will not pay for audited courses or courses that do not count toward your program of study at Trinity Valley Community College. Please see our list of approved programs of study to select a qualified academic program.   IF YOU ARE USING YOUR VETERANS BENEFITS FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER, OR FOR THE FIRST TIME AT TRINITY VALLEY COMMUNITY COLLEGE: You need to complete other VA paperwork in addition to the Online Veterans Educational Benefits Request Form. Follow our Guide to Veterans Educational Benefits or contact your school certifying official. We will ask you some questions about the dates of your military service, and from that information, we will determine what paperwork is needed. You can also visit the VA's web site http://www.gibill.va.gov and fill out the online applications that are available. Make sure that both the VA and Trinity Valley Community College receives a copy of your paperwork. Types of records you may need are Form DD 214, Report of Separation or Discharge, or if you are a Reservist or National Guard member, Form DD 2384, Notice of Basic Eligibility (NOBE). We will advise you what further documents are needed for your claim.   First-time applicants for veterans benefits and persons transferring their benefits from other schools will have a longer wait for their benefits than continuing students. Once your eligibility is established, however, future semester payments should be much more quickly processed.   THE KEY TO GETTING YOUR BENEFITS IS GETTING THE PAPERWORK DONE RIGHT! YOU MUST COMPLETE TRINITY VALLEY COMMUNITY COLLEGE VETERANS EDUCATIONAL BENEFITS REQUEST FORM EVERY SEMESTER YOU WISH TO RECEIVE VETERANS BENEFITS. This form must be completed after you register and pay for your classes. This form can be filled out and submitted online. It can also be obtained from this web page or from the Financial Aid Office on the Athens Campus or at the following extension centers: Palestine, Terrell, or Kaufman Health Science Center. The form must be hand-carried or sent directly to the Veterans Affairs Desk in the Financial Office at the Athens campus. Without it, we will not certify your enrollment to the VA for that semester.   Click here to download your request form.   IF YOU ARE A CONTINUING TRINITY VALLEY COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENT RECEIVING VETERANS BENEFITS FOR THE CURRENT SEMESTER: You need to complete and turn in the Trinity Valley Community College Veterans Educational Benefits Request form once you have registered and paid for classes.   STUDENT VERIFICATION OF ENROLLMENT Everyone receiving Chapter 30, Chapter 33, Chapter 1606, or Chapter 1607 benefits must verify their enrollment each month to receive payment for that month. Your enrollment can be verified on the last calendar day of the month by using the VA's Web Automated Verification of Enrollment (WAVE) or by calling 1-877-823-2378. Students must be currently enrolled in an approved educational program and must have a current benefit award to use WAVE.   Hazlewood Act Veterans who have exhausted their federal education benefits or whose benefits have expired may be eligible for the Hazlewood Exemption for Texas veterans. The Hazlewood Act (Section 54.203, Texas Education Code) exempts eligible Texas veterans from payment of tuition and certain fees at Texas public institutions of higher education. All documentation must be on file prior to the census date of the term for which the student is applying for the Hazlewood Act Exemption. In order to be eligible to receive a Hazlewood Act Exemption, a veteran shall demonstrate that he or she: 1. at the time of entry into the U.S. Armed Forces, was a citizen of the United States and a resident of Texas; 2. has received an honorable discharge from active service, general discharge under honorable conditions, or an honorable separation from service; 3. has served at least 181 days of active military duty, excluding training (“net active service” on DD Form 214); 4. has exhausted all federal veterans’ education benefits, including such benefits as those issued under Title 38, US Code, Chapters 30, 32, and 35, and Title 10, US Code, Chapters 1606 and 1607 (federal Pell and SEOG are now excluded); 5. has resided in Texas at least 12 months or otherwise been classified as a Texas resident by the institution for the term or semester for which the veteran applies for the Hazlewood Act Exemption; 6. is not in default on an education loan that was made or guaranteed by the U.S. federal government or by the State of Texas; 7. has attempted fewer than 150 credit hours of college courses using the Hazlewood Act Exemption beginning with fall of 1995, and 8. is enrolled in an eligible program of study. When applying for the first time for the Hazlewood Act Exemption, a veteran shall provide to the institution, along with the Hazlewood Act Exemption Application, the following supporting documentation: 1. a copy of the veteran’s Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty (DD Form 214); 2. proof of the veteran’s or reservist’s current status regarding eligibility for federal veterans education benefits (call VA Office, Muskogee, OK, 1-888-442-4551, to request a benefit letter), and 3. documentation of Texas residency at the time the veteran entered the service. The Hazlewood Act Exemption is also available to the dependent children of eligible Texas armed services members who died in the line of duty or as a result of injury or illness directly related to military service and to the dependent children of members of the Texas National Guard or the Texas Air National Guard killed since January 1, 1946, while on active duty either in the service of Texas or the United States. In order to receive a Hazlewood Act Exemption, all federal survivor’s benefits (Chapter 35) must be exhausted. All documentation must be on file prior to the census date of the term for which the student is applying for the Hazlewood Act Exemption. For additional information, contact the TVCC financial aid office or the TVCC website at www.tvcc.edu/finserv; www.collegefortexans.com; or the Texas Veterans Commission website at www.tvc.state.tx.us/Hazlewood. BE SURE TO HAVE ALL OF YOUR PRIOR CREDITS & MILITARY TRAINING EVALUATED AT TRINITY VALLEY COMMUNITY COLLEGE! The Department of Veterans Affairs requires all GI Bill recipients to have all of their prior education and training, military and civilian, evaluated for possible transfer credit when they first enroll at Trinity Valley Community College. The VA gives you up to two semesters of enrollment to obtain official transcripts from your prior schools or military training. If we do not receive and evaluate your transcripts by the end of your second semester of enrollment with us, the VA will terminate all benefits paid to you and may require that all previously paid benefits be repaid!   Source documents for military education are armed forces official transcripts. You may use the information in the following chart to request a transcript directly from the appropriate branch of service:   Branch of Service Transcript Name Contact Air Force AF Form 2099 Air Force Website       Army Request for Army/American Council on Education Registry Transcript form DA Form 5454-R (AARTS) Army Website       Navy/Marine Corps Request for Sailors/Marine American Council on Education Registry Transcript Draft NAVMC Form (SMART) Navy/Marine Corps Website       Coast Guard CGI form 1560/09 Coast Guard Website Veterans Benefits 903-675-6228 veterans@tvcc.edu    Links to PDF’s • Veteran Change of Program or Place of Training • VA Benefits Request Spring 2011 • VA Benefits Request Summer 2010 • VA Benefits Request Fall 2010 • VA Address Change • Dependent Change of Program or Place of Training • Guide to Veterans Educational Benefits • Application Packet for Veterans Who Have Never Used the Exemption • Application Packet for Eligible Children and Spouses Who Have Never Used the Exemption • Application Packet for Previous Exemption Recipients (Veterans, Children and Spouses) • Application Packet for the Transfer of Unused Hours To Eligible Child • Application Packet for A Child Who Has Received Transferred Hours