VA Education Benefits

Frederick Community College (FCC) is approved by the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) for the training of eligible veterans, their dependents, and active duty personnel. FCC may certify enrollment to the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for approved programs of study. The benefit recipient may be responsible for paying their own tuition and fees each semester.

If you are unsure which type of VA education benefit you qualify for, you may contact the VA Call Center by phone at 1-888-442-4551 or visit the VA Web site at www.gibill.va.gov. You will need to provide your social security number (or that of your sponsor, if applying for benefits under a parent or spouse) when you make the call.

If you have a question about Go Army Ed/Tuition Assistance, National Guard Waiver, or MyCAA, please contact the Welcome & Registration Center at 301.846.2431 for the appropriate procedure.

Click here to view Services for Veterans and their families.

Applying for Veterans Education Benefits

• To apply for education benefits at FCC, students must first apply for admission to FCC, choose an approved program, register for classes, and complete the Veterans Online Application (VONAPP). If the student attended any other institution prior to FCC, they should review the Transfer Student requirements.
• Next, the student must complete the VA Student Questionnaire and deliver it to A204.
• If you need assistance with counseling and/or academic advising concerns, please visit the Counseling and Advising Veterans page.
  
• The VA will only pay for courses required by the student’s current approved program of study. Please refer to the College Catalog for courses required under each program. If the student enrolls in non-approved courses, they are responsible for payment of the tuition and fees on their own.
• The VA does not currently pay for any continuing education courses or Federal Emergency Management (FEM) courses at FCC.
• The VA also does not pay for audited courses.
• The VA does pay for a repeated course IF the student received an unsuccessful grade on the previous attempt and the repeat is required for graduation from FCC.
•  The VA does pay for courses designated as remedial, online, practicum, clinical, independent study, and internship/externship.
• If a student ceases attendance in a course, does not officially withdraw and receives a failing grade, the student may be required to repay some or all of the education benefits that he/she received for that course.
• A student who must withdraw due to mitigating circumstances should contact the FCC VA Certifying Official immediately.
• The student must notify (in person or by their FCC email) the FCC VA Certifying Official if they change their program of study or change a course to audit.
• Program of study changes require submission on a completed VA Form 22-1995 or VA Form 22-5495.
• Students receiving education benefits through Chapter 30, 1606 or 1607 will not receive their monthly payment until they have certified their enrollment via Web Automated Verification of Enrollment (WAVE). This must be done monthly.

Transfer Students

Students who have attended other institutions of higher education prior to attending FCC must complete the following steps.

• Apply for admission to FCC.
• Choose an approved program of study.
• Have official copies of all prior college transcripts submitted to the Welcome & Registration Center for evaluation.
• Register for classes.
• Complete the VA Student Questionnaire.
• Completed VA Form 22-1995 or VA Form 22-5495.

Guest Students

Students who are attending FCC as their host institution to obtain credit for a degree program at their primary institution must complete the following steps.

• Apply for admission to FCC.
• Register for classes.
• Complete the Guest Student Declaration of Intent.

Evaluation of Military Credit
All veterans must have their official military transcripts submitted to the Welcome and Registration Center for evaluation of transferrable credit. FCC will accept up to 45 credits in military and other transfer credit toward an FCC program of study. Official military transcript requests may be requested via the following links:

• Army 
• Navy and Marines
• Air Force
• Coast Guard

Education Benefit Chapters

• Chapter 30 – Montgomery GI Bill (Active Duty)
• Chapter 31 – Vocational Rehabilitation
• Chapter 32 – Veterans Educational Assistance Program (VEAP)
• Chapter 33 – Post 9/11 GI Bill
• Chapter 35 – Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational Assistance Program (DEA)
• Chapter 1606 – Montgomery GI Bill (Selected Reserve)
• Chapter 1607 – Reserve Educational Assistance Program (REAP)

Yellow Ribbon Program

Students who are under the 100% eligibility tier of Chapter 33 (Post 9/11) GI Bill and who are paying the out-of-state tuition rate may be eligible for assistance under the Yellow Ribbon Program. This program has limited funding and will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. Please complete the Frederick Community College Yellow Ribbon Application and submit it to the VA Certifying Official  no earlier than the first day of early registration for the next semester.