DMACC Veterans Services - FAQs

1. How can I find out of I am eligible for Veterans educational benefits?
   
   Call the St. Louis Regional Processing Office (RPO)-toll free number 1-888-442-4551. It is automated. Have your service number (social security) and, if you are a former full time active duty veteran, a copy of your DD 214 (discharge papers) in front of you. If you are a survivor or dependent of a disabled or deceased veteran, have their service number available.
   
2. How do I know what VA Chapter I am?
   
   Chapter 30 – former full time active duty veteran-minimum of 2 years active duty service
   Chapter 31 – veteran under VA Voc Rehab
   Chapter 35- Dependent or survivor of 100% disabled or deceased veteran
   Chapter 1606 – Member of Reserves or National Guard
   
3. I am a former full time active duty veteran. I am currently serving in the Reserves/National Guard. Which Montgomery GI Bill (MGIB) should I apply for?
   
   If you have the MGIB from your active duty service, it would be wise to select that one. The pay is much better, you put the money in and you should get it back, but you are on a ten-year limit calendar for using it. You must use that entitlement in the ten years between your discharge date and the anniversary of your discharge date. Reserve/National Guard MGIB is only good while you are IN either organization and pays much less per month. It also has a ten year limit for use.
   
4. Can I use both Chapter 30 and Chapter 1606 MGIB’s at the same time?
   
   No. However, once you use up your chapter 30 benefits, if you are still in the guard or reserves, you can have another 12 months of benefits. The combined MGIB benefit is a total of 48 months.
   
5. Will my Reserves/National Guard basic training and/or AIT training transfer to my college work here at DMACC?
   
   Probably not because these training programs are typically so military specific. However, if you have submitted an application for admissions to DMACC and your DD 214 from that training, Credentials will evaluate for transfer for you. In fact, the VA requires us to evaluate past education if you are receiving benefits.
   
6. I can’t find my DD 214. How can I get another one?
   
   On the web, go to http://www.nara.gov/regional/mprsf180.html and print off the request form.
   Send to
   National Personnel Records Center
   Military Personnel Records Center
   9700 Page Boulevard
   St. Louis, MO 63132-5100
   Or call 1-800-827-1000 and ask them to send you Form SF 180
   
7. I don’t have my Notice of Basic Eligibility (NOBE). Where can I get one?
   
   Check your personal files from when you enlisted in the Reserves/National Guard. You should have been given a NOBE after finishing your AIT training. If you do not have one, contact the administrative officer at your Guard or Reserve unit. If they can’t find it, contact Captain Tom Beasley, education officer, at Starc Armory, 515-252-4468.
   
8. How do I know if I have been ‘certed’ for this semester?
   
   The DMACC Veterans office sends out a two way mailer post card after certifying students for the current semester. If you know you called or have otherwise informed this office that you have enrolled and have not received a card, call 515-964-6278.
   
9. When will my money start coming?
   
   Veterans benefits are paid a month in arrears. That means that you must be attending school for one full month at the beginning of each term before you begin to receive your money.
   
10. Since I am getting the GI bill and/or Tuition Assistance from the Guard/Reserves, can I wait to pay my college bill until my benefits start coming in?
    
    No. You will not be allowed to defer tuition and fees due the college until your benefits start coming in. DMACC does not defer outstanding charges. You are expected to pay your bill up front or make arrangements for a payment plan. MGIB benefits are always paid a month in arrears, so you will not receive any of those benefits until school has been in session for at least a month. TA is paid directly to the college but typically not in a timely manner.
    
11. I attended last semester, but did not apply for VA benefits until this term, even though I was eligible. Can I still get paid for last term?
    
    We can back certify you for up to a year as long as you were indeed eligible during that time.
    
12. I attended another school before and received MGIB there. What do I have to do to have those benefits continue now that I’m at DMACC?
    
    You need to complete a VA Form 22-1995 – Request for Change of Place of Training or Program. This form can be obtained from the DMACC VA office and when completed must be submitted to the DMACC VA office either by mail or FAX if you cannot do it in person. Call 515-964-6284 to request that a VA Form 22-1995 be sent to you..
    
13. How can I get transfer credits applied from that previous school?
    
    When you apply for admission to DMACC, request that your prior school(s) submit an official transcript to DMACC Credentials, Des Moines Area Community College, 2006 So. Ankeny Blvd., Ankeny IA 50023. Credentials will evaluate your prior education for possible transfer and they will notify you by letter of their decision.
    
14. I think my VA monthly payment is wrong! How can I find out?
    
    Call the St. Louis RPO at 1-888-442-4551 and choose to speak to a real person instead of using the automated menu. Have your ss# and your credit hour enrollment schedule in front of you. 
    
15. What is the current pay rate for my chapter?
    
    Don’t remember your VA benefits chapter? Click here to find out.
    
    CHAPTER 30 
    Former Active Duty Full Time 3/4 time 1/2 time 
    12 cr. hrs or more 9-11 cr. hours 6-8 cr. hours
    2 YEARS SERVICE $732.00 $549.00 $366.00
    or 
    3 YEARS OR MORE $900.00 $675.00 $450.00
    
    CHAPTER 1606 
    Reserves/Nat'l Guard Full Time 3/4 time 1/2 time 
    $272.00 $204.00 $135.00
    
    CHAPTER 35 
    Survivors/Dependents Full Time 3/4 time 1/2 time 
    $670.00 $503.00 $335.00
    
    CHAPTER 31 
    VA Voc Rehab Full Time 3/4 time 1/2 time 
    No dependents $457.96 $341.85 $228.74
    One dependent $564.34 $423.87 $283.41
    Two dependents $665.03 $497.21 $333.13
    Each addit'l depend. $48.48 $37.28 $24.87
    
16. How do I apply for Reserves Tuition Assistance (TA)?
    
    This benefit is not connected to the VA. You must apply for this through your Reserves unit. You will need to provide to them verification of actual enrollment in DMACC for the semester you wish to apply for. Once your unit does its part, the paper work comes back to DMACC to the Agency Funding office in Bldg. 1. The college invoices the Department of Defense (DoD) and your bill is then paid directly to the college.
    
17. Can I use TA in partnership with my GI Bill?
    
    Check with your Reserves/Guard unit as to the regulations applying to Tuition Assistance through your particular branch of the service.
    
18. I have a Reserves/National Guard Kicker with my MGIB. How do I get paid for that?
    
    If you have an MGIB Kicker, it will be paid piggy-back on your GI Bill benefit each month. You need to submit a copy of your complete kicker contract to the DMACC certifying officer when you apply for your MGIB. This is not necessary if you have applied at another institution prior to coming to DMACC. The VA will continue to automatically add the kicker payment onto your monthly GI Bill basic rate payment.
    
19. I’m in the National Guard. I understand I am eligible for the Iowa Tuition Assistance Grant for Guard members. How do I get that?
    
    This benefit is available through the National Guard and is funded by the State of Iowa Legislature. You need to apply for it every Spring through your Guard unit. The amount of award varies from year to year and is dependent on the legislature’s appropriations action. It is awarded for Fall and Spring only, and by semester. Once the college has been officially informed of the roster of those who are eligible, they will release the funds to your DMACC account and reduce your bill for tuition only by the current percentage rate for an individual semester. The student is still responsible for the remainder of their tuition and all of the fees.
    
20. What should I do if I get deployed after classes have started?
    
    Click here for deployment information
    
21. If I do get deployed will I have to pay back any VA money I may already have received?
    
    Upon proof of actual deployment ( you must bring a copy of your orders to the DMACC VA office as soon as possible after you receive them. If you do not have time to bring them, send them to Veterans Services, Des Moines Area Community College, 2006 So. Ankeny Blvd., Ankeny IA 50023). The office will submit a withdrawal of enrollment to the VA under mitigating circumstances-deployment. Your entitlement draw will be stopped but you will not be required to pay back any money the VA has already paid you for the semester.
    
22. I’m not doing so well in some of my classes. Will the VA stop paying my benefits if I fail a course?
    
    No. However, As a student receiving VA educational benefits, you are required by the DVA to maintain satisfactory academic progress in accordance with the accepted standards of DMACC. (Minimum 2.0 GPA). 
    But, should you complete a course but receive a failing grade (F), the VA will pay you to retake that course one time without penalty.
    
    If you are experiencing academic difficulties or difficulties in receiving your VA benefits, contact the Veterans Services coordinator at 515-964-6284 immediately. 
    
23. What happens if I just stop coming to school and fail to officially notify either the college or the VA?
    
    You will have wasted your (or someone’s) money on a semester you didn’t gain from, you will have all F’s on your transcript, and any money the VA has paid you will be owed back to them. And they will get it back. 
    
    

For answers to VA questions not covered here, call DMACC Veterans Services at 1-800-362-2127 ext#6284.