Veteran & Military Benefits
Thank you for your service to our country.! Whether you’re a veteran, or still serving on active duty, or a member of the Guard or Reserve, we want you and your family to feel welcome with us. We are ready to offer assistance in achieving your educational goals.
Before applying for benefits you should speak with your Educational Services Officer (ESO) or counselor within your Military Service before enrolling to make sure you are using the benefit that best suits your need.
GI Bill® Comparison Tool
Apply for Benefits
- www.gibill.va.gov
- Visit your nearest VA regional office to apply in person
- Call 1-888-GI BILL®-1 (888-442-4551) to have the application mailed to you
It takes 2—8 weeks for an application to be processed. Once the application is processed, you will receive a Certificate of Eligibility (COE) in the mail. A copy of the COE must be turned in to the School Certifying Official (SCO) at your school along with the following:
- DD-214 (Member 4 Copy) Copies can be requested online, by mail or by fax @ https://www.va.gov/records/get-military-service-records/
- Military Transcripts (See instructions below)
Visit the East Central College FINANCIAL AID website for additional financial aid information.
Payments
Chapter 33:
- Tuition paid to school
- Monthly BAH paid to student
- Books & supplies stipend paid to student at the beginning of the term
Chapters 30, 35, 1606, & 1607
- Monthly benefits paid to student
- DOES NOT pay tuition
- DOES NOT pay books & supplies stipend
Military Transcripts
Military transcripts provide a description of military schooling and work history in civilian language.
College credit can be awarded for military advancement and training. To request a copy of your transcript(s) to be sent to East Central College, please visit the appropriate website.
Joint Services Transcripts – Army, Marines, Navy
Community College of the Air Force – Air Force
Verify Attendance
You need to verify your attendance every month before payment is issued if you are attending an Institution of Higher Learning (IHL) or Non- College Degree (NCD) program and are receiving one of the following: Post 9/11 GI Bill®, Montgomery GI Bill ® – Active Duty, Montgomery GI Bill ®- Selected Reserve Reserve Educational Assistance Program – REAP. Visit the GI Bill Website for information on how to verify attendance.
Basic Enrollment Information
- The VA does NOT pay for students to retake a class they have already passed
- The VA will NOT pay for classes that are not part of a student’s degree plan
- Students who take ALL ONLINE classes (including web-blended) will only be paid 50% of the BAH
- MUST report attendance each month to the VA in order to receive
Class Schedule Changes
If you add or drop classes, enroll in classes outside of your degree plan, repeat classes, enroll in short-term/non-standard term classes, these changes are required to be reported to the VA.
CHANGES IN ENROLLMENT CAN RESULT IN AN OVERPAYMENT THAT WILL BE DETERMINED BY THE VA.
Scholarships
Edith Nourse Rogers Science Technology Engineering Math (STEM) Scholarship for GI Bill Students
VA has launched the Edith Nourse Rogers STEM Scholarship program for students training in high-demand STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) fields.
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.
Purple Heart Scholarships – deadline March 1
The Purple Heart Scholarship Program is a competitive scholarship program that awards scholarships to Purple Heart recipients and their spouses, children, and grandchildren each year.
The Army Women’s Foundation Legacy Scholarship Program
The Army Women’s Foundation recognizes the importance of education and the role it plays in personal, professional, and economic fulfillment. The Army Women’s Foundation Legacy Scholarship Program provides grants to women soldiers, past and present, and their lineal descendants to help them attain their educational goals.
The Legacy Scholarship Program offers financial support in four areas: Certificate programs, Community College coursework, Undergraduate Degrees, and Graduate Degrees. Scholarships are awarded only for coursework from accredited institutions. Scholarships are based on merit, academic potential, community service, letters of recommendation, and need.
Wartime Veteran’s Survivors Grant Program
The Wartime Veteran’s Survivors Grant Program is available annually to children and spouses of veterans whose deaths or injuries were: a result of combat action or were attributed to illness that was contracted while serving in combat action, or who became 80% disabled as a result of injuries or accidents sustained in combat action since September 11, 2001. The total number of Veterans that may receive a grant in any year is limited by statute to 25. The Veteran must have been a Missouri resident when first entering the military service or at the time of death or injury. The Missouri Veteran’s Commission determines whether the Veteran meets the program’s requirements.
Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant
You may be eligible to receive the Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant if:
- You are not eligible for a Federal Pell Grant on the basis of your Expected Family Contribution (EFC), but
- meet the remaining Federal Pell Grant eligibility requirements, and
- your parent or guardian was a member of the U.S. armed forces and died as a result of military service performed in Iraq or Afghanistan after the events of 9/11, and
- you were under 24 years old or enrolled in college at least part-time at the time of your parent or guardian’s death.
Association of Veterans Education Certifying Officials (AVECO)
Check out East Central College’s Veterans Lounge!
Located on the Union Campus in DSSC – 2nd Floor – Room 202
Veterans and Active Duty students should contact Student Services or Lorrie Baird for the pin # to access the lounge.
- Microwave
- Refrigerator
- TV & DVDs
- Computer & printer with FREE printing
- Military Times & Missouri Conservation Magazine Subscriptions delivered monthly
Email Lorrie Glynn-Baird @ Lorrie.baird@eastcentral.edu or call 636-584-6570 if you have any questions or issues.
Veterans Benefits and Transition Act of 2018
In compliance with Section 103 of the Veterans Benefits and Transition Act of 2018, East Central College will not impose the following penalties to covered individuals* due to the delayed disbursement of funding from the Department of Veteran Affairs:
- preventing nor delaying the student’s enrollment,
- the assessment of late fees,
- the denial of access to any resources available to other students who have satisfied their tuition and fees bills to the institution, including but not limited to classes, libraries, or other institutional facilities,
- or require the student to secure alternative or additional funding
To qualify for this provision, such students are required to:
- Produce a Certificate of Eligibility**;
- Contact the Primary School Certifying Official and request to be certified;
- Provide additional information needed to properly certify the enrollment as required by the Primary School Certifying Official.
This provision ends on the earlier of the following dates:
- The date on which payment from the VA is made to the institution
- 90 days after the date the institution certified tuition and fees following the receipt of the Certificate of Eligibility
*Covered individual is defined as any individual who is entitled to educational assistance under Chapter 31, Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment, or Chapter 33, Post 9/11 G.I. Bill®
**Certificate of Eligibility is defined as a Certificate of Eligibility, a Statement of Benefits, or a Tungsten Network Purchase Order.
Other Resources
VA Isakson & Roe – Section 1018 Requirements
Military Tuition Assistance
State Tuition Assistance is available to Army and Air National Guard members and pays for tuition only. Applications must be received prior to the 30th day of classes. Students are required to maintain a cumulative 2.50 GPA for continued eligibility.
Federal Tuition Assistance is available to both National Guard and Reservist. Students must request TA through www.armyignited.com
Please note these important tuition assistance timelines:
- FTA cannot be awarded if submitted after the class start date (AR 621-5).
- FTA can be requested as early as 60 days prior to the class start date.
- FTA requests SHOULD be submitted NO LATER THAN 10 days before the class start date.
For East Central Financial Aid information, visit our FINANCIAL AID website.
For More Information
- Contact Lorrie Glynn-Baird at 636-584-6570 for assistance.
- Visit the GI Bill ® website for more information and to apply for benefits