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 needs.
GI Bill® Comparison Tool
Apply for Benefits
- https://benefits.va.gov/gibill
- 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 at 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 will only be paid 50% of the National Average of all Monthly Housing Allowance (MHA) payments
- MUST report attendance each month to the VA in order to receive the MHA payment
We know your life as a service member can be unpredictable. If you are called to active duty, your academic advisor and veterans services coordinator will assist with all the paperwork involved, so you can take a temporary leave from your studies. In addition, should you have to unenroll from East Central College due to military service. East Central College will promptly readmit a service member with the same academic status as he/she had when last attending the school or accepted for admission to the school.
Class Schedule Changes
After your classes are certified with the VA, the school certifying official places a hold on your account to prevent you from making changes to your schedule that could result in a debt to the VA or East Central College. If you are considering dropping one or more courses, please contact our office to discuss the financial implications to make the drop.
CHANGES IN ENROLLMENT CAN RESULT IN AN OVERPAYMENT THAT WILL BE DETERMINED BY THE VA.
East Central offers several forms of financial aid exclusively to service members, military veterans and family members who are eligible:
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 – Application will open March 1st to June 1st, 2025
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 Student Aid Index (SAI), 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 Financial Aid for the pin # to access the lounge.
- Microwave
- Refrigerator
- TV & DVDs
- Computer & printer with FREE printing
- Missouri Conservation magazine subscription delivered monthly
Email Financial Aid at finaid@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 or 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
Policy Statement
Military Tuition Assistance is awarded to a student under the assumption that the student will attend school for the entire term for which the assistance is awarded. When a student withdraws (officially or unofficially), the student may no longer be eligible for the full amount of tuition assistance funds originally awarded. To comply with the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) policy, East Central College (ECC) is required to return any unearned tuition assistance funds on a proportional basis through the 60% portion of the term for which the funds were provided. If a service member stops attending due to a military service obligation, ECC will work with the affected service member to identify solutions that will not result in a student debt for the returned portion.
Withdrawals
A student’s official withdrawal date is used to calculate the earned percentage of tuition assistance. In the event that a student fails to earn a passing grade in at least one class, they will be evaluated at the end of the term to determine if they withdrew unofficially (never attends or stopped attending class) by using the last date of attendance that is reported by the instructors when grades are submitted.
If a student withdraws prior to completing at least 60% of the term, 100% of the tuition assistance is returned to the Military branch. The student will owe ECC the amount of tuition assistance returned. Once the student has attended at least 60% of the term, the student is considered to have earned 100% of the tuition assistance approved for the term.
State Tuition Assistance is available to Army and Air National Guard members and pays for tuition only. To access the application: www.moguard.ngb.mil
Eligibility
- Must be a member of the Missouri Army/Air National Guard
- Soldiers who have completed AIT, BOLC, or OCS but have not met the one year requirement ARE ELIGIBLE to use State Tuition Assistance prior to applying for and using Federal Tuition Assistance.
- Soldiers who meet the one year requirement after completion of AIT, BOLC, or OCS must apply and use Federal Tuition first.
- Members must maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher
State TA
- May only be utilized for one undergraduate degree
- Pays 100% of tuition up to a maximum of $346.00 per credit hour
- Can be used for up to 15 credit hours for the fall term, 15 hours for the spring, and 9 hours for the summer per year (July 1 – June 30).
To apply for benefits or learn more about the State TA program, visit the Missouri National Guard website OR Download the Application.
Required Documentation:
- Completed application signed by your Commander
- Statement of Understanding
- Itemized Billing Statement must include soldier’s name, school name, and specifically show cost of tuition separate from additional fees.
- Course Schedule must include soldier’s name, school name, course number, course name, number of semester hours, start and end dates for each course.
- Official or unofficial transcripts – not required for first semester college students
Federal Tuition Assistance is available to both National Guard and Reservist. Students must request TA through www.armyignited.com
Army
- Eligible for FTA after completing one year of service after graduating AIT, OCS, or BOLC
- FTA can be used towards a bachelor’s, master’s, certificate programs
- Must be in good standing at your unit (not flagged)
- Pays towards tuition only (no books or fees included)
- Can be used for up to 16 semester hours per fiscal year (Oct 1 – Oct 1), not to exceed
- $250 per semester credit hour, or
- $4,000 maximum per fiscal year.
- Members must maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher for undergraduate degree and 3.0 for graduate degrees
- Apply at ArmyIgnited. Information needed for application (all in PDF format):
- Degree program must include soldier’s name, degree name, school name, academic advisor’s name, and list all courses required to complete the degree by course name, number, and number of semester hours per class.
- Itemized Billing Statement must include soldier’s name, school name, and specifically show cost of tuition separate from additional fees.
- Course Schedule must include soldier’s name, school name, course number, course name, number of semester hours, start and end dates for each
Please note these important tuition assistance timelines:
- FTA cannot be awarded if submitted after the class start date.
- 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.