This handout is to better serve the Veterans that attend the Community College of Aurora.

If after reading this information you have questions, please call me at 303-360-4706 or e-mail me at Tom.Dury@ccaurora.edu or come by my office located at 16000 E. CentreTech Pkwy., Aurora, CO  80011.  My office hours are Monday – Thursday, 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. and Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.  

The following information is provided to assist Veterans in complying with Veterans Administration and CCA requirements and procedures. 

TUITION:  Veterans must be prepared to pay their tuition by the tuition payment deadline as new claims generally take 8 – 10 weeks to process, and payments typically begin after the first full month of classes.  If need be, promissory notes are available at the time of registration by paying all fees and approximately 1/3 of the tuition.  Contact the Cashier’s Office for details. 

1.         CERTIFICATION PERIODS

a.       Veterans need to be certified each semester.  It is your responsibility to notify me of your enrollment each semester.  If you do not notify me, I will not do a certification, and that may delay your VA check.  You must also notify me when you drop classes or stop attending.  Please note, however, that the Veteran’s Administration will consider any benefits paid to you for classes you do not complete to be an overpayment, and you will be required to pay back a portion of the money if you stop attending or drop out of classes.

b.      Full-time for Fall and Spring semesters is 12 credit hours or more, ¾ time is 9 to 11 credit hours, ½ time is 6 to 8 credit hours; full-time for Summer is 7 credit hours, ¾ time is 5 to 6 credit hours and ½ time is 4 credit hours.

2.         DECLARED MAJORS

a.       Veterans must declare a degree objective to be certified for V.A. benefits.

b.      You cannot be paid for courses which are not required for your degree.  You can be paid for deficiency, remedial or prerequisite classes.

c.       You cannot be paid for courses you have already successfully completed, either here or at another college.

3.         CHANGE OF PROGRAM

a.       Under V.A. benefits, you may change your program without being penalized; however, you must notify the VA Advisor.

4.         TRANSCRIPT EVALUATIONS

a.       The school is required to evaluate all previous educational training and accept all courses which can be applied to your declared program.

b.      You must request that all colleges or educational institutions that you have previously attended send official transcripts to CCA.

c.       The V.A. may suspend your payments at the end of your first term if they have not received the amount of credits taken at other institutions which applies to your program at CCA.

5.         ADDRESS CHANGES

a.       Call the V.A. (1-800-827-1000) to give them the new address.  Inform the V.A. Advisor at CCA of your address change and any changes in your home and work telephone numbers.

b.      It is suggested that a forwarding address be put in with the post office so that V.A. checks can be forwarded.

6.         V.A. VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION

a.       Veterans with a minimum 20% V.A. disability may apply for V.A. vocational rehabilitation through the Veteran’s Administration for education at CCA.

b.      Under the rehabilitation program, veterans receive a monthly subsistence allowance from the V.A., and tuition, fees, books and supplies are paid for by the V.A.

7.         SATISFACTORY PROGRESS

a.       You must maintain a 2.0 grade point average (GPA) to be considered to be making satisfactory progress.

b.      If you have attempted 16 or more credit hours and your cumulative GPA drops below 2.0 (C average), you will be placed on academic probation for 1 semester.  You may continue to enroll but must maintain a semester GPA of 2.0. 

c.       If your GPA for any term falls below 2.0 while you are on academic probation, you  will be placed on academic suspension for one semester.  After the suspension, you will be allowed to register but will remain on academic probation.   A second occurrence of academic suspension will be for a period of one year.  A third occurrence of academic suspension will result in permanent suspension from the College.  At any time you are placed on academic suspension, you will be ineligible for VA benefits.

8.         INCOMPLETE GRADES

a.       If you receive an incomplete grade for a course, the work must be completed by the deadline given by the instructor and the grade must be changed by the end of the following term.

b.      Veterans who receive incompletes in the Spring or Summer terms have until the end of the Fall term to have the incomplete changed to a grade.

c.       If the incomplete is not made up, it will change from an “I” to an "F" and will be calculated into your GPA as a “0.00.”

 9.        ADD/DROP PERIOD

            Veterans who totally drop or withdraw from classes after the official add/drop period    WILL be charged with an overpayment back to the beginning of the term, unless   mitigating circumstances can be provided.

 10.       IMPORTANT PHONE NUMBERS, EMAIL ADDRESSES, AND WEBSITES

General Information on VA Education Benefits; questions re: your VA account:

            1-888-442-4551

General Information on other VA benefits:

            1-800-827-1000

Monthly Verification of Enrollment:

            Phone:   1-877-823-2378

            WAVE (Web Automated Verification of Enrollment)

                        https://www.gibill.va.gov/wave/default.cfm

VA Education Service (including email address for Education Benefit Inquiries):

            www.gibill.va.gov