Veterans Affairs Education Benefits and Eligibility

• Apply for VA A educational benefits.
• Request official copies of high school, military, all prior college transcripts, and Member 4 DD-214 to be sent to Student Records.  Learn how to send transcripts to Central Piedmont.
• Your VA file will not be complete until all high school, college, military transcripts, and Member 4 DD-214 are in Student Records and evaluated. To request military transcripts: 
  • DD 214 request
  • Joint Service Transcripts request (register and download)
  • Air Force University Transcript request
• Meet with a Military Families and Veterans Services academic advisor  to be admitted into a VA-approved program of study.
• Request certification by completing the VA certification request form and submitting a copy of your class schedule via email to Veterans Affairs Education Benefits Office.
• Chapter 33 students: Submit a copy of your Certificate of Eligibility or eBenefits summary via email to the Veterans Affairs Education Benefits Office.

When you receive VA education benefits, you are required to maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (a cumulative grade point average of 2.0 or better). Educational assistance benefits to veterans and eligible persons will be discontinued once you no longer make satisfactory progress toward completion of your training. These standards are described in the Veterans Affairs section of the Central Piedmont catalog.

It is your responsibility to report all withdrawals or attendance issues to Central Piedmont's VA Education Benefits Office immediately to prevent overpayments. You are required to complete the Veterans Affairs Schedule Adjustment form (PDF) and submit mitigating circumstances in writing for evaluation and approval within five business days via email to the Veterans Affairs Education Benefits Office.  

What are Mitigating Circumstances?

If you drop a course or withdraw from school after the drop period and receive a non-punitive grade, VA will reduce benefits effective the first day of the term. If there are circumstances beyond your control that prevent you from continuing in school or that cause you to reduce credits, the VA may use those mitigating circumstances to reduce any overpayments due back to the VA.

Examples are:

• illness or injury afflicting you during the enrollment period
• illness or death in your immediate family
• unavoidable change in your conditions of employment
• unavoidable geographical transfer resulting from your employment
• immediate family or financial obligations beyond your control that require you to suspend pursuit of the program of education to obtain employment 
• discontinuance of the course by the school
• unanticipated active military service, including active duty for training
• unanticipated difficulties with childcare arrangements that you have made for the period you are attending classes

The last date of attendance must be verified by the instructor for all withdrawals.
The VA allows a one-time exclusion from being penalized for withdrawing for up to six credit hours. You can be paid up to the last date of attendance for those six hours. After that time, you have to provide the VA Education Benefits Office with mitigating circumstances or repay any benefits received. If you attended classes throughout the semester and receive a “W” (non-punitive) as a grade, this has to be reported to the VA Regional Office and is not part of the six-hour, one-time exclusion even if you can document that you attended through the last day of class. You are responsible for overpayments resulting from non-punitive grades.
Failure to notify the VA Education Benefits Office of withdrawals and continued acceptance of educational funds may be considered fraud. You are encouraged to register only for those classes that you know you can complete.

Guidelines:

• Students must submit a certification request form every semester.
• We will start to submit certifications to Veterans Affairs in January for the spring semester, the middle of May for the summer semester, and at the end of July for the fall semester. Final grades for the prior semester must be processed and reviewed before we submit certifications for the next semester
• The included course materials charge will not be covered by Chapter 33 benefits — you can use the book stipend received by Veterans Affairs to pay the charge.
• Student accident insurance will not be covered by Chapter 33 (post 911 GI Bill) benefits — you can use the book stipend received by Veterans Affairs to pay the charge

The VA Education Benefits Office Will Certify: 

classes that are required for your program
classes that are prerequisites to required classes for your program
specific dates of required classes

The VA Educations Benefits Office is Unable to Certify Classes That: 

• are considered Adult Basic Literacy Education
• in the Continuing Education program
• transfer credit has been granted
• were previously passed unless you did not meet the minimum grade required by Central Piedmont
• received credit by examination which credit  
• are being audited
• are for programs not approved by the State Approving Agency

All policies are subject to change based on institutional and federal guidelines.