Veteran's Educational Services

Getting Started

E-BENEFITS

The E-benefits website is a great resource to follow your GI Bill® application, print your Letter of Eligibility, track your payments, and obtain all your military information from disability claims to VA documents.

Login can be accomplished with a CAC Card and without one. Just a few simple questions and you will be on your way to a large source of information pertaining to your personal military information.

GI BENEFIT® DETAILS

Department of Veteran Affairs

Knowing your benefits and how they work is an important part of your academic success. On the provided link, you can look up individual benefits, compare them, look at current GI Bill pay rates and read descriptions of each one. Once you have decided on your benefits, you can apply. If you have questions, please contact [email protected].

For further questions regarding your benefits, contact the Regional Office at 888-442-4551 or talk to Veteran Education Services.

REMEMBER

Post 9/11 Students: At least one course for the full term of a full time schedule has to be either on campus, hybrid, or virtual in order to receive full percentage of eligible monthly stipend.
Exemptions/Waivers: If the cumulative GPA falls below a 2.0 GPA, an appeal through the financial aid office may be necessary and must be approved before the benefit is applied to a student account.
All Chapter 31 Students need an electronic authorization from their VR & E counselor sent to BPCC through Tungsten network to receive their benefits. No emailed approval codes will be accepted. Please note the financial limits of purchases from the bookstore for supplies. Technology will have to be approved by your counselor. All bookstore receipts must be signed by the student and submitted to the business office for invoicing to the VA.
Chapter 33 Post 9/11 GI Bill: Set up a verification of enrollment with the VA by calling 888-442-4551. The verification will come the last day of the month either by text or email once student sets up their choice. Note: If verification is not acknowledged in two consecutive months, the VA will suspend the BAH stipend and the student will have to contact the VA for reinstatement. (See STUDENT RESOURCES on this webpage for details)
LA National Guard: Please contact Mr. Leonard Acker at 504-278-8304 to ensure you are on the State Tuition Waiver list.
Private Scholarships (Academics, TOPS, RPCC Foundation) Please let the school certifying official know in H-411.
Chapter 30, 1606, or 1607, and Chapter 35 (under ½ time): Verify your enrollment on the last day of every month enrolled at www.gibill.va.gov/wave or call 877-823-2378 in order to receive funds from the VA for the prior month.

Using Military Education Benefits at RPCC

WHAT BENEFITS ARE ACCEPTED?

Chapter 30-Montgomery GI Bill®
Chapter 31-Vocational Rehabilitation & Employment
Chapter 33- Post 9/11 GI Bill® (certificate of Eligibility required)
Chapter 35-DEA- Dependent Education Assistance
1606-Montgomery GI Bill®-Selective Reserve
1607-Reserve Education Assistance Program

**Learn and apply for the above benefits at www.va.gov under the education option.

ACTIVE DUTY TUITION ASSISTANCE

Active duty military using tuition assistance are required to have a current TA briefing through the base education office before enrolling in education programs. Please contact [email protected] for more information about active duty tuition assistance.
DOD requires that all active duty military must take a departmental placement test if they are not receiving transfer credit from another accredited institution for Math and English.
Student must provide a program “Curriculum Outcome” page from the RPCC catalog along with the “Degree Works” sheet listing ALL transfer credits.
All CCAF transcripts must be received by the admissions office and a “proof of receipt” signature must be provided by the admissions office on the curriculum outcomes sheet. (DOD requirement)
All education goals must be approved by the base education office.
Upon completion of loading your course information on the portal, please bring your approved TA form to the Financial Aid office in Student Services at RPCC Gonzales Campus.
Grades are reported within 30 days of completion of the course.
RPCC will waive certain course fees that Tuition Assistance does not pay.

MYCAA-MILITARY SPOUSE CAREER ADVANCEMENT ACCOUNT:

https://mycaa.militaryonesource.mil/mycaa

**Contact RPCC academic advising for assistance with the MyCAA packet

LOUISIANA NATIONAL GUARD TUITION WAIVER

If you are a member of the Louisiana National Guard, you may be eligible for a tuition waiver through the state of Louisiana. The waiver only applies to the tuition you are charged at RPCC. The fees and books are the responsibility of the student.
The tuition waiver requires the student to maintain a 2.0 GPA and declare a degree program. Certificates of Technical Studies, Technical Diplomas, non-credit coursework, or Technical Competency Areas are not covered by the tuition waiver.
Please contact the LA National Guard Education Office to ensure eligibility of the tuition waiver.
LA State Tuition Exemption Manager/State GI Bill® Manager
- 504-278-8273
- [email protected]
For more detailed inquiries, please contact ARNG GI Bill® Support Team at 866-628-5999
For more information, please visit the following website: https://geauxguard.la.gov/education/

LOUISIANA TITLE 29 TUITION EXEMPTION FOR DEPENDENTS

www.militarybenefits.info/louisiana-veterans-benefits

**Please apply for this state benefit at your local Veteran Services Office.

Military Dependent Education Benefits

TRANSFERRED POST 9/11 GI BILL

Military members can transfer their Post 9/11 GI Bill™ to their dependents under certain criteria set forth by the department of defense. Please visit www.Military.Com/education/gi-bill/post-911-gi-bill-transferability-fact-sheet

CHAPTER 35 DEPENDENT EDUCATION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (DEA)

The Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational Assistance (DEA) program offers education and training opportunities to eligible dependents of Veterans who are permanently and totally disabled due to a service-related condition or of Veterans who died while on active duty or as a result of a service-related condition.

Visit your local Parish Veteran Service Office to apply for the benefit.

For additional information: https://www.va.gov/family-and-caregiver-benefits/education-and-careers/dependents-education-assistance/

GUNNERY SERGEANT JOHN DAVID FRYE SCHOLARSHIP

The Fry Scholarship pays education benefits to the surviving spouses and children of service members who die in the line of duty after Sept. 10, 2001.

https://militarybenefits.info/fry-scholarship/

LOUISIANA STATE EDUCATION BENEFITS – TITLE 29 EXEMPTION

Louisiana offers education assistance to surviving spouses of deceased Veterans as well as children of Veterans rated with 90% or more service-connected disability and children of Veterans rated with 100% service-connected disability due to unemployability. Student must turn in the original certificate from the state to the Veteran Educational Services Office. Student must maintain a full-time schedule and a minimum 2.0 GPA to utilize the benefit. Visit your Parish Veteran Service Office to apply for the benefit.

For additional information: https://www.vetaffairs.la.gov/benefit/louisiana-title-29-dependents-educational-assistance/

MYCAA SPOUSE GRANT

MyCAA pays for tuition costs for education and training courses and examinations leading to a recognized license, certificate, certification or Associate degree with a specified concentration or major. Certificates may contain post-graduate courses. The concentration or major for the Associate degree cannot be in General Studies, Liberal Arts or Interdisciplinary Studies unless there is a specific concentration such as General Studies – Nursing, or General Studies – Teaching. The license, certificate/certification and Associate degree must be obtained from a MyCAA approved accredited college, university, or technical school in the United States or approved testing organization that expands employment or portable career opportunities for military spouses.

For additional information: https://www.military.com/education/money-for-school/military-spouse-career-advancement-accounts-financial-aid.html

For additional information, contact the RPCC Financial Aid office at [email protected].

Student Resources

VERIFY YOUR ENROLLMENT

Students using the following chapters of the GI Bill® are required to verify their enrollment on the last day of each month they are enrolled in order to receive payment from the VA:

Chapter 30
Chapter 1606
Chapter 1607
Chapter 35 (if enrolled less than half time)

HERE ARE THE OPTIONS TO VERIFY ENROLLMENT

Call 877-823-2378
Log into WAVES(Web Automative Verification of Enrollment)
Remember: Your VA File number is your Social Security Number

VA processing takes time so please continue to call every day if the system states that it does not recognize your VA File number.

If you do not verify with the VA that you are enrolled for the previous month, they will not generate funds from your GI Bill®.

ALL POST 9/11 STUDENTS

Starting in the 2021-2022 school year, all Post-9/11 GI Bill® students who receive Monthly Housing Allowance (BAH) and/or kicker payments are required to verify their enrollment each month they are enrolled to continue receiving their payments.

HOW DO I VERIFY ENROLLMENT?

You can verify enrollment using the following methods:

Via Text Message

You can use text messages as a simple, quick option for verifying monthly enrollment. To opt into text message verification, please contact the Education Call Center (ECC) at 1-888-GIBILL-1 (1-888-442-4551) to ensure VA has your mobile phone number.
After opting-in, you can verify your enrollment simply by responding to a text message from VA.
Please be assured that enrollment verification via text message is safe and secure. VA will never ask for your personal information, such as social security number or bank account information, via text.
VA strongly recommends this method for verifying enrollment. It will be easier and faster than calling the ECC.

Via Education Call Center

Contact the ECC at 1-888-GIBILL-1 (1-888-442-4551) and ask a representative to verify enrollment on your behalf. NOTE: ECC wait times may be high due to the number of students verifying enrollment each month.
If you opt out of text verification and later change your mind, or need to update your mobile number on file, you can opt in by calling the ECC at 1-888-GIBILL-1 (1-888-442-4551).

Failure to verify your enrollment after two consecutive months will suspend your housing stipend.

If you have questions about the monthly verification requirement or if/when it applies to you, contact a VA education representative at 1-888-GIBILL-1 (1-888-442-4551) domestically or 001-918-781-5678 overseas.

TRANSFERRING STUDENTS

Are you coming to RPCC from another school?

Did you use your GI Bill® benefits at that school?

If you have attended another school using your GI Bill® and then transferred your degree program to RPCC, please notify the VA by completing a “Request for Change of Program or Place of Training.”

You can complete this form electronically by logging into your e-benefits account under forms or you can complete the PDF form below and fax it to the VA at 918-781-7863.

If you are the veteran or military member complete the following: VA Form 22-1995
If you are a dependent using a veteran’s benefits, complete the following: VA Form 22-5495

VISITING STUDENTS

If you are a visiting student at RPCC taking classes to transfer back to your parent college, there are certain steps to take while using the GI Bill®.

Please contact the Financial Aid office at [email protected] for the details to ensure your benefits are processed correctly.

Frequently Asked Questions

REGISTRATION CHECKLIST

MILITARY TRANSCRIPTS