Odessa College 201 W. University

Odessa, Texas 79764

Odessa College

“Here to serve those who served!”

VETERAN OUTREACH OFFICE HANDBOOK

Please keep this handbook in a safe place and refer to it often.

Contact Informa on ........................................................................................ 1

Admissions to OC Checklist ............................................................................. 2

Types of VA Educa onal Benefits .................................................................... 3

Chapter 33 Informa on ................................................................................... 4

More Types of Assistance ................................................................................ 5

Student Expecta ons ....................................................................................... 6

Important Informa on .................................................................................... 7

Other Important Informa on .......................................................................... 8

Notes ............................................................................................................... 9

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Revised June 2013

I would to thank you for choosing Odessa College to pursue your educa on goals. It’s a real honor to serve those who served. I hope to assist you with any ques ons that you may have.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Muskogee ‐ VA Regional Office

1‐888‐442‐4551 (8:00 a.m.‐6:00 p.m. Mon.‐Fri) www.gibill.va.gov

Mailing Address: www.ebenefits.va.gov PO Box 888 Muskogee, OK 74402‐8888

Odessa College Veterans Outreach Office (aka VOO)

Fall/Spring 8:00 a.m. ‐ 5:30 p.m. Monday ‐ Thursday (lunch 1‐2 p.m.)

8:00 a.m. ‐ 1:00 p.m. Friday

Summer 7:30 a.m. ‐ 5:30 p.m. Monday‐Thursday (lunch 1‐2 p.m.)

Closed Friday

Phone: (432) 335 ‐ 6833 Fax: (432) 335 ‐ 6553 grangel@odessa.edu Skype: girangel09

Website: www.odessa.edu/dept/counseling/veterans/index.htm

Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/OC‐Veterans‐Outreach‐Office/128253340563488

To ensure I will be available to assist you, please make an appointment.

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Office of Disability Services

At Odessa College we strive to assist students that have a documented disability. We comply with mandates set by Sec on 504 through the Office of Disability Services.

Academic advising for class scheduling

Arrange for academic accommoda ons and use of technology

Arrange for sign language interpreters

Provide informa on about community resources and agencies

Assist in arranging for tutoring/study skills workshops

Becky Rivera‐Weiss (432) 335‐6861 Room 204N in the Student Union Building

Apply for admissions at www.odessa.edu. If you have ques ons, please call (432) 335‐6432.

Apply for GI Bill benefits using VA Form 22‐1990 OR fill out VA Form 22‐1995 Request for Change of Program or Place of Training OR VA Form 22‐5495 Dependents’ Request for Change of Program for Place of Training (transfer benefits from the old school to the new school) at www.ebenefits.va.gov (VONAPP)

Submit the following documents to the OC Veterans Outreach Office

Cer ficate of Eligibility Le er (veteran & dependent) turned in to the OC Veterans Outreach Office. Mailed to you a er you applied for benefits. If you do not receive it a er 3‐6 weeks, you may call the Muskogee Office and have them fax it to Gloria Rangel.

VA Form DD‐214 (veterans only) OR VA Form 2384 NOBE‐No ce of Basic Eligibility (If you are on the new GI Reservist Bill, please go to the Educa on Office at your reserve unity to obtain this form)

Military Transcript (veterans only). Transcript can be sent directly to Odessa College by logging in and selec ng Odessa College. Visit h ps://jst.doded.mil/smart/ for Army, Marines, and Navy transcripts. Community College of the Air Force, visit www.au.af.mil/au/ccaf/transcripts.asp

OC Veteran Student Informa on Form (veteran & dependent).

OC Veteran Agreement (veteran & dependent).

Degree Plan (veteran & dependent). Must be signed by department chair. Major: __________________________________________________________ Department Chair & Phone Number: _________________________________________________

General Studies degree plan can be drawn up in the OC Veteran Outreach Office.

If you want to receive a degree from another ins tu on, please tell the OC Veteran Out‐reach Specialist. A parent ins tu on le er (PIL) is needed for every semester of enroll‐ment from the other ins tu on (cer fying official) where the student will be seeking their degree from.

Submit the following documents to the Admissions/Wrangler Express Office:

Official Transcripts from all colleges/universi es the student a ended. Transcripts must be sent in by at least the end of the first semester of enrollment at Odessa College. Mail all official transcripts from any college you have ever a ended to the a en on of the Admissions Office.

Proof of Bacterial Meningi s vaccine if you are under the age of 30 at the me when you register for classes. If you believe you received the vaccine while enlisted, call 1‐800‐827‐1000 (VA Records Manage‐ment Center) to receive a copy of your medical record. Vaccine cannot be older than 5 years.

Apply for financial aid at www.fafsa.ed.gov. School code for Odessa College is 003596. Financial aid is important to have, especially when the VA is behind on payments. If you have any ques ons, please call (432) 335‐6429.

Take the COMPASS placement test. Veterans may use exemp on. See page 7 for more details. For tes ng mes please call the Tes ng Center at (432) 335‐6620.

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ADMISSIONS TO OC CHECKLIST

VA Educa onal Benefits Ch 30 Montgomery GI Bill (MGIB): Member of full me ac ve duty Armed Forces.

Ch 31 Voca onal Rehabilita on & Employment Program: Member of Armed Forces who is re‐ceiving disability from VA at 30% or higher (see below).

Ch 33 Post 9/11 GI Bill: Member of Armed Forces serving ac ve duty me post 9/11 or dependents of eligible service members.

Ch 35 Dependents' Educa onal Assistance (DEA): Dependent of 100% disabled or deceased vet‐eran.

Ch 1606 Montgomery GI Bill‐Selected Reserve (MGIB‐SR): Ac vely a member of Reserves or Na onal Guard.

Ch 1607 Reserve Educa onal Assistance Program (REAP): Ac vely a member of Reserves or Na‐onal Guard with deployment.

Veterans Retraining Assistance Program (VRAP): Unemployed veterans who are between the ages of 35 and 60 and are not eligible for other VA educa on benefit programs.

Chapter 30 & 33 It is possible to be eligible for more than one benefit. Be sure to research each benefit carefully before making a decision. Some mes decisions are irreversible.

Some veterans are eligible for Chapter 30 and 33, a student may choose Chapter 30 for the en tlement of 36 months. Once it is exhausted the student may apply for Chapter 33 benefits and receive an addi onal 12 months of that benefit.

If a student chooses Chapter 33 before exhaus ng Chapter 30, the student will only receive what me is le on Chapter 30 for Chapter 33 (no addi onal 12 months will be added).

If you need more assistance on choosing the best benefit visit h p://www.gibill.va.gov/resources/benefits_resources/benefit_comparison_tools.html

Transfer of En tlement (ToE) or Transfer of Educa on Benefits (TEB) Eligibility of service members to transfer their benefits to their spouse or dependent must first be deter‐mined by the Department of Defense through the online applica on found at www.defense.gov/home/features/2009/0409_gibill/ Following approval from DoD of the transfer being granted, dependents must fill out the modified VA Form 1990E. Informa on is available online at www.gibill.va.gov/benefits/post_911_gibill/transfer_of_benefits.html

Chapter 31‐Voca onal Rehabilita on & Employment Program Apply for Ch. 31 benefits at h ps://www.ebenefits.va.gov. If you have any ques ons about Voca onal Rehabilita on contact Melvin Rand at (325) 677‐1766.

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

A n: Melvin Rand, Rehabilita on Counselor

400 Oak Street, Suite 103

Abilene, TX 79602

TYPES OF VA EDUCATIONAL BENEFITS

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Housing (BAH) Paid amount equals the Basic Allowance for Housing for an “E‐5 with dependents” and the zip code of the school. BAH rates can be found at www.defensetravel.dod.mil/site/bah.cfm. A monthly housing allow‐ance is paid directly to the student at the beginning of each month for the previous month. Amount is prorated by the number of days a student is enrolled during the month. The housing allowance is paid if the student’s rate of pursuit is more than 50%.

VA calculates rate of pursuit by dividing the number of credits being pursued by the number of credit s considered to be full‐ me by the school. The applicable BAH rate will be mul plied by the rate of pursuit rounded to the nearest mul ple of 10.

Fall/Spring—BAH Rate of Pursuit

7 credits = 60% 8 credits = 70% 9 credits = 80%

10 credits = 80% 11 credits = 90% 12 credits = 100%

Ac ve duty personnel (including those on terminal leave) and their spouses u lizing transferred en tle‐ment are not eligible for the housing allowance.

Residen al Housing: At least one class is determined as face to face learning (in class or video).

Distance Housing: All classes are distance learning (self‐paced, hybrid, or online).

BAH can be paid to students who are enrolled solely in distance educa on. Payment is 1/2 the na onal average BAH for an E‐5 with dependents.

See the “Educa on Programs Monthly Rate Table” on page 10.

Book S pend Students using Chapter 33 benefits are en tled to a book s pend. The rate is $41.67 per credit hour cer ‐fied, up to 24 credits for the academic year (08/01/YY‐07/31/YY). The maximum s pend is $1,000 per aca‐demic year.

Book s pends will be not released more than 14 days prior to the beginning of that term. S pends are expected to be paid 3‐5 business days a er being cer fied for direct deposit, 7‐10 if you receive Treasury checks.

Early registra on and applying for financial aid is highly recommended in order to receive benefits and guarantee the schedule that you wish to have. Especially for Chapter 33 benefits to receive your book s pend before classes begin.

Overpayments If you are receiving a refund check from Odessa College, please check with the Veterans Outreach Office to determine where the money is coming from. Chapter 33 students should not be receiving

addi onal monies from tui on and fees due to the VA overpaying Odessa College.

If this happens and it is not reported to the OC Veterans Outreach Office as soon as possible, you may be liable to pay the VA.

CHAPTER 33 INFORMATION

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Fry Scholarship Children of ac ve duty member of the Armed Forces who died in the line of duty on or a er September 11, 2001 may be eligible for this scholarship. Benefit is paid out like Chapter 33. Student may apply for this benefits on the eBenefits portal(VONAPP).

MyCAA—Spouse Career Advancement Account MyCAA is a program designed by the Department of Defense to assist spouses in advancing their career skills. Training and educa on is covered up to $2,000 a year to earn a degree or creden als in in‐demand, portable fields that are needed across the country. MyCAA is renewable for a second year. For more in‐forma on visit h ps://aiportal.acc.af.mil/mycaa.

Hazlewood/Legacy Act Hazlewood and Legacy is available for Texas veterans and their dependents to be used for tui on and some fees. If you are wan ng to use your VA benefits in conjunc on with your VA benefits or would like more informa on about Hazlewood or Legacy, please contact the Student Financial Services Office at (432) 335‐6429 or visit www.collegefortexans.com. Please no fy the VOO before using this exemp on.

Kickers Students who are paid under Ch.30 will be paid more if the student opted to contribute more than

required in their enlistment contract. This might be referred to as the Army College Fund or the Navy Sea College Fund. Ch. 1606 and 1607 are also eligible for kickers. Those who are paid under Ch.33 will receive their contribu ons with their BAH amount on the last month of their enrollment semester.

VFW & American Legion Scholarships Both the VFW and the American Legion offer scholarships to veterans and their dependents. I highly en‐courage everyone to apply for these and join their organiza ons.

Odessa VFW (432) 366‐5881 Odessa American Legion (432) 332‐5582

Advance Payment Chapter 30, 35, 1606, and VRAP students may choose to do advance payment who are at least half‐ me. Advance payment is given to the student to assist with expenses for the beginning of the term (tui on/fees, books, or supplies). Advance payments pays the student’s monthly benefit for the first (prorated for the number of days a ended that month) and second month of the semester. Advance payment can be paid if there’s more than 30 days between terms.

Advance payment requests must be signed and submi ed to the Veterans Outreach Specialist 40 to 120 days before the first day of the term. Check will be sent to Odessa College, payable to the student. Stu‐dent will be no fied once check is received and available for pickup.

Fall Semester: AP covers par al month of August and September. October is paid in November.

Spring Semester: AP covers par al month of January and February. March is paid in April

Summer Term: AP may be the only check received for the term.

MORE TYPES OF ASSISTANCE

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Student Advisement In order for a student to know they are on track, I require a student to meet with me to register for clas‐ses. This is to verify the classes that a student wants to take match their degree plan on file. This mee ng also is to talk over any issues or concerns a student may have about their benefits or classes. Please schedule an appointment as early as possible during registra on.

Register for classes at the me specified in the schedule book.

It is the student’s responsibility to no fy the OC Veterans Outreach Office that they registered for classes, otherwise benefits will not be awarded.

A endance A endance is very important when it comes to being a successful student here at Odessa College. Be sure to read the a endance policy stated in your syllabus for each class. If there is not a policy, ask the instruc‐tor for more informa on. If you ever stop a ending, no fy the Veterans Outreach Office immediately!

Veteran students who are receiving Chapters 30, 1606, 1607, or VRAP are required to report monthly a endance by phone 1‐877‐823‐2378 or on the WAVES site. Failure to verify will cause your monthly ben‐efits to stop.

8 Week Courses VA will only play for the amount of me a student is currently taking a class. Eight week courses will be cer fied for the start and end dates of the course, not the beginning and end dates of a semester. Example: Fall start date is Aug. 22 and end date is Dec. 12. Student registers for GOVT 2305, ENGL 1301, and HIST 1301‐2nd 8 weeks. The cer fica on will be 6 credits for Aug. 22‐Oct 17 and 9 credits for Oct 18‐Dec. 12 (3 of which is the 8 week course).

Grades & Proba on/Suspension Veteran students who are placed on academic proba on/suspension (receiving below a 2.0 GPA) will be reported to the VA Muskogee Regional office. Failure to improve the GPA a er the suspension will result in si ng out for one semester. The VOO will closely monitor all students who are on proba on/suspension.

An “F” that is earned for a class a student must have a Proof of Course Comple on Form completed by an instructor and student then turned in to the Veteran Outreach Office within 30 days of receiving the form. Any benefits that you con nue to receive a er you stopped a ending may create a debt to the VA or to OC.

Changes and Updates Failure to no fy the OC Veterans Outreach Office of changes of updates could result in delays in your ben‐efits from the VA or a debt owed to the VA. Please no fy the Odessa College Veterans Outreach Office if the following changes have occurred: Adds/Drops/Complete Withdraws Cancelled Classes or Repeated Courses Degree Changes Address/Phone/Email Changes

STUDENT EXPECTATIONS

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OC Student Veterans Organiza on (SVO) This organiza on is made of veterans, dependents, and other family and friends of military personnel. Everyone is invited to join. Ac vi es include: holiday par es, Veterans Day (Thank‐A‐Vet) event, parades, and trips. Fill out a membership form and return to the Veterans Outreach Office. Mee ngs are held every Friday, 12‐1 p.m., Room 215 of the Student Union Building.

VA Workstudy The VA allows students who receive Chapters 30, 31, 33, 35, 1606 and 1607 may work in the VOO. Stu‐dent must be enrolled in school 3/4 me or greater and a GPA of 2.25 or higher. Du es include file VA folders, make copies, assist with veteran students, and make packets for veteran students. Great oppor‐tunity for those who would like to learn more about VA benefits. Experience working in an office environ‐ment. Very flexible schedule.

Ineligible Classes and Fees Developmental courses taken without test scores on file or taken online

PE courses (dependents, PHED 1100 for nursing, or courses for Physical Educa on major are exempt)

Returned check fees

Parking fees

Late registra on fees or add/drop fees ($25 each)

Out‐of‐state tui on & fees (students will pay the difference from out‐of‐district)

Courses not listed on your degree plan (includes athle c team courses)

Courses taken previously which you received a passing grade

Tui on & Fees/Payment VA benefits are not awarded immediately. Therefore, payment for tui on and fees are due by the due date for the full amount or a payment plan must be arranged. Early registra on results in a smaller down payment for the payment plan.

Failure to take care of tui on and fees up front may result in classes being voided out of the system and you will no longer be registered for classes. It is the student’s responsibility to reregister for classes that they have been dropped from and set‐up a payment plan. The only excep on are students who receive 100% of Chapter 33 benefits or Chapter 31 students.

Tui on and fees reported to the VA are those that have been deducted for the sole purpose of defraying tui on and fees paid directly to Odessa College (waivers, scholarships, aid, or assistance other than loans and funds provided under sec on 401(b) of the Higher Educa on Act of 1965).

See page 5 for Advance Payment informa on.

Newsle ers Newsle ers are emailed every month to all students using veteran educa on benefits at Odessa College to student email addresses. These are very informa ve and contain dates and deadlines.

COMPASS Test Veterans may be exempted based on the Character of Status stated on the DD‐214. The COMPASS test includes three sec ons that include Math, Reading, and Wri ng. The total cost of the test is $29. Students are given 5 hours to test (it doesn’t take that long to finish it). Be sure to take your photo ID and social security card with you to test. Scores are given to you immediately. Provide the VOO with a copy of these.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

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Right Now

The VA Post 9/11 GI Bill website has a FAQ site called Right Now to submit ques ons to the VA pertaining to your benefits. The is the best way to contact them and keep a paper trail of items submi ed. Phone calls to the Muskogee Regional Office can take longer to respond than by emailing your ques on to the VA.

Visit the GI Bill website at www.gibill.va.gov. Click on “Submit a Ques on” on the right hand side. View past ques ons and answers or create an account to keep track of your ques ons.

Change Direct Deposit or Address

Direct deposit requests are usually processed within 3 workdays of the date they were received. Depend‐ing on the volume of requests, many are processed within 1 work day.

1. Visit the WAVE website at www.gibill.va.gov/wave/index.do

2. Click on “log in instruc ons” at the top

3. Follow the instruc ons

4. Choose from the menu “Direct Deposit Enrollment Form” or “Change of Address.” Both pro‐cedures can be done online.

Or call 1‐888‐442‐4551

Wrangler Express

For a er hours assistance (admissions, financial aid, registra on, turn in documents, etc.) , visit the Wran‐gler Express located on the first floor of the Student Union Building. They are open late, during the week‐end, and on holiday breaks. Visit www.odessa.edu for hours or call (432) 335‐6849.

Get your Wrangler Card (student ID) and parking permit from the Wrangler Express. If you have any ques‐ons, please call (432) 335‐6849.

*Please let them know you are/will be using benefits before receiving assistance at the Wrangler Express.*

This handbook cannot provide all informa on pertaining to VA Educa on benefits and OC policies/procedures. Learn more at www.gibill.va.gov and www.odessa.edu

(catalog and OC Student Handbook).

OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION

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NOTES

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