Veterans Integration to Academic Leadership (VITAL) Program

Providing Eligible Student Veterans With:

• • Free on-campus counseling and psychotherapy sessions
  • Assistance with accessing VA Healthcare or other VA services
  • Advocacy/Consultation with faculty or staff to support student veterans’ academic performance and success

What is VITAL?
The Veterans Integration to Academic Leadership (VITAL) program is a partnership between the Department of Veterans Affairs and local universities and colleges across the country. The VITAL program is comprised of VA mental health professionals, who can assist both Student Veterans and their universities/colleges by providing or assisting with various services, resources, and support. VITAL’s mission is to help Veterans achieve their academic and career goals.

To learn more please visit the VITAL webpage on the VA Campus Toolkit.

For additional information or to schedule an appointment, reach out to the Leeward Community College Veterans Resource Center (BS-103) by Phone: (808) 455-0410 or email.

Military and Veterans Coordination Program
The Military and Veterans Coordination Program is an on-campus program designed to assist Active Duty, Reserve, National Guard, Military Veterans, and their dependents with their educational goals at Leeward by providing resources, information, and support services from “registration to graduation.”

Military and Veterans Pop-Up Events
Come join us for special sessions just for the Military and Veterans community! Free food, free information, and guest speakers! Meet fellow Military and Veteran students. Visit the Veterans Resource Center at BS-103 for more information.

Mobile Vet Center
The Vet Center of Honolulu and West Oahu will be visiting Leeward’s Pearl City campus once a semester in their Mobile Vet Center. Look for the Mobile Vet Center on the campus concourse, in front of the Learning Commons building. Visit the Veterans Resource Center at BS-103 for more information.

Student Veterans of America-Leeward CC Chapter
A nationally recognized veteran student leadership organization to provide support, activities, and fellowship for members of the association, and to provide services to veterans within the college.

For more information and interest in leadership positions please contact the faculty advisor:

LeeAnne Egan
leeanne@hawaii.edu
(808) 455-0274

Yellow Ribbon Program
The Yellow Ribbon Program was established by the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008. This program allows institutions of higher learning (such as colleges, universities, and other degree-granting schools) in the United States to voluntarily enter into an agreement with VA to fund tuition and fee expenses that exceed the tuition and fee amounts payable under the Post-9/11 GI Bill®.

As an approved participant, Leeward CC can contribute a specified dollar amount of those expenses, and VA will match the contribution, not to exceed 50% of the difference.

You must be enrolled in an approved program at Leeward CC to receive Yellow Ribbon Program benefits.

Am I eligible?
You may qualify for the Yellow Ribbon Program benefit if you:

• • Served an aggregate period of active duty after September 10, 2001, of at least 36 months and were honorably discharged
  • Were discharged from active duty for a service-connected disability and you served 30 continuous days after September 10, 2001
  • Are a dependent who received benefits transferred from an eligible Service Member

How does the Yellow Ribbon Program benefit me?
The Post-9/11 GI Bill® pays all in-state tuition and fee charges at public schools and tuition and fees not to exceed a national cap at private and foreign schools. Out-of-state students and those attending private or foreign schools may receive additional funds to help cover unmet costs under the Yellow Ribbon Program. To see the current national maximum or “cap” please visit our website. If your charges exceed the tuition and fee amounts payable under the Post-9/11 GI Bill® and you are enrolled at a participating school, additional funds may be available to you through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Institutions of higher learning that enter into a Yellow Ribbon Program Agreement with VA will choose the number of funds they will contribute toward your tuition and fees. VA will match that amount and issue payment directly to the institution on your behalf.

What must my school agree to?
The school must agree to:

• • Enter into an official agreement with VA
  • Provide contributions to eligible individuals who apply for the Yellow Ribbon Program on a first-come-first-served basis
  • Make contributions toward the program on behalf of the individual in the form of a grant, scholarship, etc.
  • State the dollar amount that will be contributed for each participant during the academic year
  • State the maximum number of individuals for whom contributions will be made in any given academic year.

How will I know if my school is participating in the Yellow Ribbon Program?
You can search for Yellow Ribbon Program schools on the Department of Veterans Affairs GI Bill® website.

How will I know if I can use the Yellow Ribbon Program?
Your school will let you know –

• • If you are accepted to participate in the Yellow Ribbon Program
  • The maximum amount that may be provided to you on a yearly basis

How do I apply?
You must contact your School Certifying Official to apply for Yellow Ribbon Program benefits.

Can you give me examples of how the Yellow Ribbon Program works?
You are a student attending a public school as an out-of-state student and your in-state tuition and fees for the year are $16,000. The in-state tuition and fee charges for the school are $10,000. Your total tuition and fees exceed the amount payable under the Post-9/11 GI Bill® by $6,000. VA will pay a total of $10,000 to your school for your tuition and fees. You are responsible for the $6,000 charged to out-state students.

If your school offers $3,000 in Yellow Ribbon contributions, VA will also pay $3,000 to the school, and your full amount will be paid. If your school offers $2,000 in Yellow Ribbon contributions, VA will pay $2,000 to your school, and you will be responsible for the remaining $2,000.

For Additional Information
Visit the Veterans Affairs GI Bill website for additional information on the Yellow Ribbon Program, the Post-9/11 GI Bill®, and other education programs.

Follow these steps to receive  MYCAA Scholarship

Certain steps and eligibility criteria are required to receive the maximum amount of MYCAA funds ($4000). You’ll find more information through the MYCAA FAQs.

You should first apply to Leeward and, once you are accepted, you will be able to move forward with the MYCAA funding steps. View more information at the Military OneSource Spouse Education & Career Opportunities website.

Following acceptance into Leeward CC:

1. Request an MYCAA Degree Plan (also known as the Education and Training Plan). After receiving your acceptance email from the Leeward CC Admissions & Records office, you will need to schedule an appointment with your assigned Program Counselor or the Military & Veterans Counselor. The Counselor will create a personalized degree plan for you.
2. Upload the MYCAA Degree Plan to the MYCAA Portal. Go to the MYCAA Portal and create an account. This site is also referred to as “Spouse Education & Career Opportunities” through Military One Source. Upload the MYCAA Degree Plan. Contact the MYCAA Personnel to review your document and wait for approval. This can take about one to three weeks for approval.
3. Phone interview with MYCAA Education Counselor. You will need to schedule a phone interview to discuss your MYCAA Degree Plan. Some questions to assist in the preparation of the discussion are:
   • What is your PCS exit date?
   • What degree are you pursuing – Associates or Certificate?
   • What career do you plan on pursuing or will make you marketable for?
4. Register for Classes. Once your MYCAA Degree Plan is approved, you may register for classes at Leeward CC. You will also need to upload the info of the registered classes onto your MYCAA Portal, see next step. (This is done every semester.)
5. Request Authorization (Payment voucher for registered classes, also known as “Financial Aid Authorization” document). After registration of classes, you will need to input info on your registered classes on your MYCAA Portal to seek an authorization document. (Note: The “Financial Aid Authorization document” is like a payment voucher.) You will input class info, like class title, start date, end date, credits, cost, etc… The MYCAA Authorization document may take 1 week for approval and it will be a .pdf document accessed on your MYCAA Portal or/& sent to you by email.
6. Email MYCAA Authorization Document to Leeward CC Cashier’s Office. Prior to the start of the class and once you receive the MYCAA Financial Aid Authorization document, you will need to email it to the Leeward CC Cashier’s office. For more guidance, please reach out to the Cashierʻs Office at (808) 455-0308.

CH. 30 – MONTGOMERY GI BILL – ACTIVE DUTY

• Used by: Active Duty Service Members
• Ebooks/TextBooks are to be paid by student
• After enrollment certification, STUDENT RECEIVES MONEY FROM VA AND NEEDS TO PAY FOR TUITION TO COLLEGE

CH. 31 – VET READINESS/VOC REHABILITATION & EMPLOYMENT (VRE)

• Used by: Veterans w/Service-Connected Disability rating
• Housing & Book stipend is received directly from VA
• Ebooks/TextBooks are paid by VA w/PO AUTH
• After enrollment certification & received VRE PO Authorization, VA PAYS COLLEGE DIRECTLY FOR TUITION (CONTACT CH. 31 VRE COUNSELOR)

CH. 33 – POST 911 GI BILL

• Used by: Active Duty Service Members, Veterans, Transferred to Dependents
• Housing & Book stipend is received directly from VA
• Ebooks/TextBooks are to be paid by student
• After enrollment certification, the VA PAYS COLLEGE DIRECTLY FOR TUITION

CH. 35 – DEPENDENTS EDUCATION ASSISTANCE

• Used by: Dependents (whose military sponsor is 100% disability rating)
• Ebooks/TextBooks are to be paid by student
• After enrollment certification, STUDENT RECEIVES MONEY FROM VA AND NEEDS TO PAY FOR TUITION TO COLLEGE

CH. 1606 – MONTGOMERY GI BILL – SELECTIVE RESERVE/GUARD

• Used by: Reserve/Guard Service Members
• Ebooks/TextBooks are to be paid by student
• After enrollment certification, STUDENT RECEIVES MONEY FROM VA AND NEEDS TO PAY FOR TUITION TO COLLEGE

Important Reminder: Students are responsible for tuition payments owed to the college, this includes following the VA processing procedures shown on the “CERTIFICATION PROCESS” tab.

New Students/First-time Users of VA Benefits:

1. 1. If you have not done so, please apply for your VA Education Benefit online.  Veterans who plan to give their dependents all or some of their Education benefits must apply online for Transferred Education Benefits.
   2. Apply and be accepted to Leeward Community College.  Please visit our page on “How to Apply” and the necessary admissions requirements.
   3. Must provide Certificate of Eligibility (COE) by uploading onto Admissions Application or email COE to leeapply@hawaii.edu.
   4. After registration of classes, complete the Veterans Student Enrollment Information (eForm).

Transfer/Returning Students – Previously used VA benefits at another college/university:

1. 1. Apply and be accepted to Leeward Community College.  Please visit our page on “How to Apply” and the necessary admissions requirements.
   2. Complete and submit a transfer evaluation request form to leetrans@hawaii.edu and have your official transcripts sent to our institution including military transcripts.
   3. Order military transcripts at:
      – Joint Services Military Transcript, all branches except Air Force
      – Air Force
      – Defense Language Institute
   4. After registration of classes, complete the Veterans Student Enrollment Information (eForm). Be prepared to upload your COE to the VSEI eForm.

Veteran Readiness & Employment (VR&E)/Vocational Rehabilitation Students:

1. 1. Apply and be accepted to Leeward Community College. Please visit our page on “How to Apply” and the necessary admissions requirements.
   2. After registration of classes, complete the Veterans Student Enrollment Information (eForm).
   3. Contact your VR&E Counselor to request a Veteran Readiness & Employment Authorization for all campuses you registered for. Once received, VR&E students are responsible to submit the .pdf copy to the Leeward CC SCO at lccvrc@hawaii.edu or upload the VR&E Authorization onto the VSEI eform (see above).

An added note to all:

• ALL changes in enrollment (add, drop, withdraw, course cancellation), regardless of who initiated it, MUST be reported to the School Certifying Official.  Failure to report enrollment changes promptly may incur debt on your behalf to the Department of Veterans Affairs.
• To ensure on time VA payments students need to submit for certification (VSEI eForm) at least a month in advance prior to the beginning of the Semester. Any requests for certification after the beginning of the Semester may cause a delay in VA payments.
• For any questions regarding processing, course enrollment, required documents or Veterans Counseling please contact the Leeward CC VRC at (808) 455-0410 or lccvrc@hawaii.edu.

• Probation, Suspension, Dismissal rule for VA benefits user –
• Probation – If GPA is below 2.0 – only able to use VA benefits for 2 “Probation” semesters only.  If GPA is still below 2.0 after 2 “Probationary” semesters, students CAN NOT use VA benefits to certify, nor can VA pay for classes.  Students will have to pay out-of-pocket or use alternate funding.
• Suspension – CAN NOT use VA benefits until GPA is 2.0 or higher. Students will have to pay out-of-pocket or use alternate funding.
• Dismissal –  CAN NOT use VA benefits until GPA is 2.0 or higher. Students will have to pay out-of-pocket or use alternate funding.
• Remedial/Developmental class – After the placement test identifies placement lower than 100-level classes, there are “Remedial/Developmental” classes  (99-level and below, i.e. ENG 22, MATH 82X, etc.). VA benefits using students are being required to take “in-person/face-to-face” classes only. If the class is “fully online” (Zoom/Google Meets only or Asynchronous online), this class will not be certified and VA cannot pay for this class.   Students will have to pay out-of-pocket or use alternate funding.
• “F” grades – VA requires the college to verify the last day of attendance for failed grades. When you receive a “F” grade, the instructor assigns a last day of attendance. If the last of attendance is prior to the last day of the term, it must be reported to VA. If you stop-out prior to the end of the term, this may result in a debt of tuition & housing monies that you are required to payback to VA.