| Veterans Educational Benefits
BCC is approved by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) as a training facility for veterans and eligible persons. The Veterans Services Office located in the Student Services Building, Room 114, coordinates the services to more than 110 veterans attending classes and receiving veteran benefits; tutorial assistance; referrals for counseling for financial, vocational, and academic problems; veterans work-study job information; and information about BCC procedures. The Veterans Services Office acts as a direct liaison between Broome Community College and the Veterans Administration Regional Office in Buffalo regarding payment of benefits. Eligible persons may receive benefits under one of several types of G.I. Bill:
The Veterans Service’s Office is not the Veterans Administration. We do not determine your eligibility for veteran’s benefits. We do, however, provide you with the appropriate paperwork to apply to the VA for benefits. We are responsible for certifying your enrollment status to the VA.
The VA will not pay for continuing education courses, audited courses, courses already passed or courses that do not count toward your program of study at BCC. Please see our College catalog for a list of approved programs of study.
IF YOU ARE USING YOUR VETERANS BENEFITS FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER, OR FOR THE FIRST TIME AT BCC:
You need to complete other VA paperwork in addition to the Veteran’s Educational Benefits Request Form. Follow our Application procedures for Veteran’s Educational Benefits or contact the BCC Veterans Services Office. We will ask you some questions about the dates of your military service, and from that information, we will determine what paperwork is needed. You can also visit the VA's web site www.gibill.va.gov and fill out the online applications that are available.
Types of records you may need are Form DD 214 (Member copy 4), Report of Separation or Discharge, and if you are a Reservist or National Guard member, Form DD 2384, Notice of Basic Eligibility (NOBE). We will advise you what documents are needed for your claim, you then forward the whole package to the Veterans Services Office, room SS 114.
First-time applicants for veteran’s benefits and persons transferring their benefits from other schools will have a longer wait for their benefits than continuing students. Once your eligibility is established, however, future semester payments should be processed quicker.
THE KEY TO GETTING YOUR BENEFITS IS GETTING THE PAPERWORK DONE RIGHT!
Each time you register for a semester for which you wish to receive veteran’s benefits; you must complete BCC's Veteran’s Educational Benefits Request Form. This form can be obtained from the Veterans Services Office. The form should be hand carried or sent directly to the Veterans Services Office. Without it, we will not be able to certify you for benefits for that semester.
IF YOU ARE A CONTINUING BCC STUDENT RECEIVING VETERANS BENEFITS FOR THE CURRENT SEMESTER:You need to complete and turn in the BCC Veteran’s Educational Benefits Request Form once you have registered for classes.
STUDENT VERIFICATION OF ENROLLMENT
Chapter 30 and Chapter 1606 students must verify their enrollment monthly by Web Automated Verification of Enrollment (WAVE) or by calling 1-877-823-2378. Students must be currently enrolled in an approved educational program and must have a current benefit award to use WAVE.
BE SURE TO HAVE ALL OF YOUR PRIOR CREDITS & MILITARY TRAINING EVALUATED AT BCC!
The Department of Veterans Affairs requires all G.I. Bill recipients to have all of their prior education and training, military and civilian, evaluated for possible transfer credit when they first enroll at BCC. The VA gives you up to two semesters of enrollment to obtain official transcripts from your prior schools or military training. If we do not receive and evaluate your transcripts by the end of your second semester of enrollment with us, the VA may terminate all benefits paid to you and may require that all previously paid benefits be repaid!
Source documents for military education are armed forces official transcripts. You may use the information in the following chart to request a transcript directly from the appropriate branch of service:
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