The college maintains and staffs the Office of Veterans Services where veteran, active-duty, dependents of disabled or deceased veterans, and National Guard students can find help applying for military related educational benefits.
Federal Programs
- Chapter 30 - Montgomery GI Bill®
- Chapter 31 - Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E) ®
- Chapter 33 - Post 9/11 GI Bill®
- Chapter 35 - Survivors’ and Dependents’ Education Benefits
- Chapter 1606 - Selective Reserves, Montgomery GI Bill®
- WAWF TA - Navy, Marines, Coast Guard active duty tuition assistance
- Army & Air Force TA - Active duty tuition assistance
GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by the VA is available at the official U.S. government website at http://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill.
Applying for Veteran Educational Benefits
Prospective veteran benefit students are encouraged to apply for their benefits at the earliest possible date. Veterans, dependents, and selective reservists will need to go to va.gov to apply for their federal educational benefit. Answer a few questions to determine the correct application, then apply electronically. Students who qualify will receive a letter of eligibility in the mail in about 30 days. The letter will need to be taken to the SC4 Veterans Services Office in the Welcome Center building. Appointments to complete the veteran educational benefit process can be made by contacting Dawn Hestand at 810-989-5643 or dhestand@sc4.edu.
NOTE: Students who have used their education benefit at a prior college or university need to go to the va.gov website and click on ‘Change your current education benefits.’ Choose the ‘Complete VA Form 22-1995 online’ option; follow the prompts to submit the changes.
Previously Earned Credits
All veteran benefit and active duty students are required to submit official transcripts of prior training credits. Official copies of all previous college and/or university transcripts, as a well as a student’s JST (Joint Services Transcript), must be submitted by a student’s second semester. Students using a veteran education or active duty benefit can only be certified at their current institution (SC4) for classes that have not previously been taken with a passing grade of D- or higher (unless otherwise noted in the SC4 catalog).
NOTE: Students using education benefits are highly encouraged to submit all transcripts for evaluation prior to having their first semester’s courses certified. If a student submits transcripts that show course equivalents after the same course has been certified for a given semester, the student will owe the tuition dollars and if applicable, partial housing and book stipends back to the VA.
State of Michigan Programs
MING-STAP - Michigan Army and Air National Guard tuition assistance
CVTG - Michigan Children of Veterans Trust Grant
- Requirements for the CVTG can be found at https://www.michigan.gov/mistudentaid/0,4636,7-372-89024—,00.html
- Potential recipients can submit the application by setting up a MiSSG Student Portal and submitting the required documents, or may visit the SC4 Office of Veteran Services in the Welcome Center building and ask for Dawn Hestand.
- Qualifying students will be sent a letter of eligibility from the State of Michigan Department of Treasury. Students will need to submit the letter to the SC4 Veterans School Certifying Official (SCO) at SC4’s Office of Veterans Services.
Benefit Pay Rates
Educational benefits vary depending on a student’s VA program or chapter. Students can find the rate table that applies to them by going to https://benefits.va.gov/GIBILL/resources/benefits_resources/rate_tables.asp. Students will need to locate the correct chapter on the web page and click on the most recent effective date for their current benefit rate. Benefits are counted out by the day, not the week or month.
VA Compliance Information
PL 115-251 compliance: Any individual using educational assistance under either Chapter 30 (Montgomery GI Bill® - Active Duty Program), Chapter 31 (Veteran Readiness and Employment®), or Chapter 33 (Post-9/11 GI Bill®), of Title 38, United States Code, and/or the Marine Gunnery Sergeant John David Fry Scholarship (38 U.S.C. § 3311(b)(9)) who lives in the State of Michigan while attending St. Clair County Community College will be charged in-state tuition (regardless of his/her formal state of residence).
PL 117-68 compliance: Any individual using educational assistance under either Chapter 35 (Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational Assistance program) who lives in the State of Michigan while attending St. Clair County Community College will be charged in-state tuition (regardless of his/her formal state of residence).
Title 38 United States Code Section 3679(e) compliance: St. Clair County Community College complies with Title 38 United States Code Section 3679(e) under which covered individuals (i.e. any individual who is entitled to educational assistance under Chapter 31, Veteran Readiness and Employment®, or Chapter 33, Post-9/11 GI Bill® benefits) can attend or participate in the course of education during the period beginning on the date on which the individual provides to the educational institution a certificate of eligibility for entitlement to educational assistance under Chapters 31 or 33 (a “certificate of eligibility” also can include a “Statement of Benefits” obtained from the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) website - eBenefits, or a VAF 28-1905 form for Chapter 31 authorization purposes) and ending 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.
St. Clair County Community College will not impose any penalty, including the assessment of late fees, the denial of access to classes, libraries, or other institutional facilities, or the requirement that a covered individual borrow additional funds, or any covered individual because of the individual’s inability to meet his or her financial obligations to the institution due to the delayed disbursement of funding from VA under Chapters 31 or 33.
Covered individuals wanting to use their educational benefits at St. Clair County Community College are required to submit to the School Certifying Official a completed and signed ‘Office of Veteran Services Class Certification Request’ form (available at https://sc4.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Veterans-Class-Certification-Form.pdf and at the Veterans Services office in the Welcome Center building). Additionally, covered individuals may be required to provide additional information as necessary to properly certify enrollment.
Student Guidelines and Responsibilities
- Veteran benefit or active duty students are required to sign the SC4 ‘Active Military and Veteran Contract for Certification’ form before any benefit will be applied to the student’s SC4 account or certified with the VA.
- Students may only register and be certified for classes needed for their current SC4 program(s).
- VA payment is not ordinarily allowed for repeating a previously passed course at SC4 or any prior institutions.
- Any changes in a student’s program of study, course load, home address, etc., must be reported to the SC4 Veteran Services Coordinator.
- Each semester that a Veteran or active duty student registers for classes and wishes to use a military benefit, the student is required to submit an ‘Office of Veteran Services Class Certification Request’ form.
- Students receiving VA or active duty benefits who withdraw from a class or classes may have to repay tuition to SC4 and/or housing and book stipends directly to the VA or active duty program.
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