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Did You Know?

Important Information for Veterans

  • Eligibility for all veteran educational benefit programs are determined by the Department of Veteran Affairs and/or Illinois State institutions NOT by Sauk Valley Community College.
  • Applications for all types of State and Federal veteran educational benefits are available at the Office of Financial Assistance, Room 1G12. Applications for many Federal benefits are also available at VONAPP.
  • You will need to provide a copy of your DD-214 forms for all periods of active duty. 
  • Illinois National Guard and Selective Reserve members must provide a NOBE (Notice of Basic Eligibility) and all previous DD-214 forms to apply for benefits.
  • Once an application is submitted to the State or Federal Department of Veteran Affairs, allow several weeks for processing and notification of approval, especially at the start of each new semester.
  • If you withdraw from classes in which you are using veteran educational benefits, you may be responsible for repayment of any monetary awards to the State of Illinois or U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.
  • You may use only one federal benefit and one state benefit at a time, each term.
  • Students may not be certified for any course that they have previously received a passing grade.
  • Students using federal benefits will be certified only for courses in their certificate or degree program.
  • Students using federal benefits may not be certified for online remedial courses.
  • Students changing from one certificate or degree program to another are required to obtain a new Statement of Standing from their counselor and turn it in to the Office of Student Financial Assistance.
  • Failure to turn in all required documents, including a SVCC Veteran Educational Benefits Cover Sheet, may result in being dropped from classes for non-payment. 
  • Standards of Academic Progress Policy, Schedule Changes & Grades
  • Monthly Verification of Enrollment
  • Training Time
  • Military Transfer Credit

SVCC Veteran Educational Benefits Cover Sheet

All veterans using benefits at SVCC must complete a SVCC Veteran Educational Benefits Cover Sheet for each term they wish to use benefits. Courses will not be certified or paid with veterans benefits until the Veterans Certifying Official has received a completed cover sheet for the term.

Program of Study

Students using VA educational benefits must be enrolled in an approved degree or certificate program and may only be paid for courses applicable toward the program. Prerequisites for required courses may also be certified. Please make sure to visit a counselor when planning courses for each term, and let them know you are a veteran so that they can help you make sure you take eligible courses.

Students using only Illinois state tuition benefits may enroll in any credit hour courses.

Reimbursement for National Exam Fees (Including CLEP, ACT & SAT)

Veterans approved to use federal education benefits may be eligible for reimbursement for required exam fees for CLEP, ACT, SAT and more. Click here for more information.

Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) 

All veterans are encouraged to apply for federal grants by completing the FAFSA.  For more information on financial aid please visit the Office of Student Financial Assistance's web-site here.

Withdrawals

When using a federal VA education benefit, it is important to successfully complete all courses for which you are certified. Drops, withdrawals, incomplete's and failing grades may create a debt for you with the VA. If you decrease or alter your schedule after certification has been processed, an overpayment with the VA and SVCC could occur and you may incur a debt. A debt may include; tuition, fees, books and housing allowance. You are responsible for any debt incurred while receiving benefits either to the Department of Veteran Affairs or with Sauk Valley Community College. Questions regarding your debt with the VA should be directed to VA Education at 1-888-442-4551 or VA Debt Management at 1-800-827-0648.

Return of Unearned  Federal Tuition Assistance Funds

Military Tuition Assistance (TA) is awarded to a student under the assumption that the student will attend school for the entire period for which the assistance is awarded. When a student withdraws, the student may no longer be eligible for the full amount of TA funds originally awarded. To comply with the new Department of Defense Policy, SVCC will return any unearned TA funds on a prorated basis through the 60% portion of the period for which the funds were provided. TA funds are earned proportionally during an enrollment period, with unearned funds returned based upon when a student stops attending.  These funds are returned to the military service branch in which the student serves. Eligible requests for military withdrawal triggers a 100% refund in all tuition and course fees which will be returned to the student's military service branch and result in no debt to the student.