Veterans, Veterans Dependents and Service Personnel

Opportunities for Veterans, Veterans Dependents and Service Personnel 
TTC is a fully accredited institution of higher learning that is certified to process claims for veterans, and spouses and children of deceased or 100 percent disabled veterans, with the Department of Veterans Affairs and the state of South Carolina. TTC is also designated a Servicemembers Opportunity College (SOC) by the Department of Defense, the American Counsel on Education (ACE) and the American Association of Community Colleges. TTC is also a participating member of the SOCNAV (Navy), SOCMAR (Marines) and SOCAD (Army) programs. Information about all SOC programs is available at your Military Education office. As an SOC institution, TTC is committed to assisting veterans, eligible spouses and dependent children, and active duty personnel to meet their educational needs. 

TTC has  full-time Veterans Assistance Offices (VA) located on the Main Campus and the Palmer Campus.. The TTC VA Office is staffed with TTC employees who coordinate College services and provide information, referrals and assistance to veteran students, reservists, active duty personnel and eligible dependents of veterans with admission, educational and vocational counseling, financial aid, and other needs that affect educational progress. The telephone number at Main Campus is 843.574.6105; the telephone number at Palmer Campus is 843.937.5356.

If you feel that you may be eligible for VA or South Carolina state benefits, contact the Veterans Assistance Office. The Veterans Assistance Office will help you complete all of the necessary applications and will mail them to the appropriate approving agency for you. It could take between three to six months to apply, get approval and receive funds from the VA. You should be prepared to pay your tuition, fees, expenses and instructional fees for this period. You assume full responsibility for all fees at the time of registration. You are responsible for informing the Veterans Assistance Office of changes in enrollment status or changes in dependency or marital status. You are responsible for keeping your address and phone numbers current with the Admissions office and with the Veterans Assistance Office. Your benefits may be suspended or terminated if problems arise with your certification and we cannot contact you.

All veterans and eligible persons receiving VA educational benefits while enrolled at TTC are required to maintain class attendance. When a student's absences in a traditional class exceeds two consecutive weeks of scheduled meetings after the drop/add period, the instructor will complete and submit an attendance/progress report to the TTC VA Office. If a student ceases active involvement in online or other modes of distance learning courses for two consecutive weeks, the same procedure of reporting will apply. The TTC VA Office will notify the Veterans Affairs Regional Office in Atlanta, G.A., or the Department of Veterans Affairs Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Office in Charleston, S.C. of the change in enrollment. The respective offices will determine the necessary adjustment to a student's educational benefits. If you drop, withdraw or change your enrollment in a class or classes at the College, you are required to complete an official drop/add or withdrawal form. The form must be completed and then signed by your instructor. It must include your last date of attendance (LDA) in the class. You must deliver this form to the Registrar’s office for processing as well as bring a copy of the form to the Veterans Assistance Office.

Unless you can show that the reason for withdrawal from a course or courses was due to mitigating circmstances, the VA must reduce or stop your benefits from the beginning date of the term.   "Mitigating circumstances" are unavoidable and unexpected events that directly interfere with your pursuit of a course and are beyond your control.  The first time you drop up to six credit hours, the VA will excuse the drop and pay benefits for the period you attended.  This is a one-time exclusion and you will not have to provide a reason to the VA.  For more information, contact the TTC Veterans Assistance Office.

Choose your major carefully. Changing your major slows down progress toward completion of your degree. It also unnecessarily uses up your benefits which are limited in amount. In addition, a program change may result in a delay in receiving benefits. This is particularly important if you are going on for advanced studies. If you change your major, you must complete a Student Information Update form in the Admissions Office and complete a program update form in the Veterans Assistance Office. Vocational Rehabilitation students receiving Chapter 31 benefits are not permitted to change their majors without the permission of their VA case manager.

Educational Programs for Veterans/Dependents and Active and Reserve Personnel
Qualified veteran students may be considered for various financial aid or scholarship programs. All students are encouraged to apply for all available programs. Additional information is available at the Veterans Assistance Office, the Financial Aid Office or by visiting TTC's Web site.

Montgomery G.I. Bill (Chapter 30): This program provides 36 months of full-time benefits to veterans or military personnel in return for service to their country; a $1,200 contribution with completion of their first tour of duty under honorable conditions. These students also may qualify for VA work-study positions when available.

Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (Chapter 31): This program pays tuition, fees, textbooks, supplies and equipment plus a monthly subsistence allowance to veterans with a compensable service-connected disability resulting in employment disability as determined by the VA. You must apply within 12 years of VA notification of disability compensation. Generally, benefits are payable up to 48 months for undergraduate training. Free tutorial assistance is available but must be requested as early in the semester as possible. Eligible students may qualify for VA work-study positions when available.

VEAP (Chapter 32): This program provides up to 36 months of full-time benefits to personnel who entered active duty military service between Jan. 1, 1977, and June 30, 1995. In return for a monthly contribution of $25-$100, the military provides matching funds of up to $8,100 depending on amount and length of contributions. These students may qualify for VA work-study positions when available.

Dependents Educational Assistance (Chapter 35): This program provides benefits for spouses and children of veterans who, resulting from active duty, died of service-related causes or have been awarded 100 percent total permanent disability. There are many different eligibility requirements for this program. Please visit the Veterans Assistance Office for help in completing your application. These students may qualify for VA work-study positions when available.

S.C. State Free Tuition Program: Children of veterans, who were either residents of South Carolina at the time of entry into service or who have resided in South Carolina for at least one year, may be eligible for the S.C. State Free Tuition Program. The program requires that the veteran served honorably in the armed forces of the United States during a period of war and either died while in service or as a direct result of service; or was a POW or MIA; or is totally or permanently disabled as determined by the Veterans Administration; or has been awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. The veteran, if disabled, must still reside in South Carolina. These students are not eligible for VA work-study positions unless they also receive Chapter 35 benefits.

Payment of Benefits: Eligible students receive benefits based on their particular VA benefit program and training time while at TTC. The Veterans Administration processes benefit payments at the end of the month for that month’s enrollment. Advance payment of the first partial month’s benefit and second full month’s benefit is available if you are entering college for the first time or you were previously enrolled but have a break of 30 days or more between sessions. The VA must receive advance pay request at least 60 days before and not more than 120 days before the beginning of each semester.

REAP: This program (Chapter 1607 of title 10, U.S. Code) is a new benefit providing educational assistance to members of the reserve components - Selected Reserve (Sel Res) and Individual Ready Researve (IRR) - who are called or ordered to active service in response to a war or national emergency, as declared by the President or Congress.  Generally, a member of a reserve component who served on active duty on or after September 11, 2001 under title 10, U.S.C., for at least 90 consectutive days under a contingency operation is eligible for REAP. 

These hours apply for VA pay purposes only.

Fall and Spring Semesters
Full time                12 semester credit hours 
3/4 time             9-11 semester credit hours  
1/2 time              6-8 semester credit hours

Summer Term
Since the Summer Term is considered an accelerated term (10 weeks), the following hours apply for VA purposes:

Full time                  7 semester credit hours or more  
3/4 time                5-6 semester credit hours 
1/2 time                   4 semester credit hours 
Less than 1/2 time  3 or fewer semester credit hours 

Please visit the Veterans Assistance Office for more information regarding benefits during the Summer Term.

Active Duty Tuition Assistance: This program pays all or part of tuition costs for college courses taken while on active duty. Each branch of the military administers it. Check with your Military Education office for program requirements. Tuition assistance forms should be processed through your Military Education Center and submitted to the TTC Business office well in advance of the start of the semester.

Other Resources for Dependents: Educational loans may be available through Army Relief, Navy Relief and Air Force Aid Societies for qualified children or spouses of active duty servicepersons, servicepersons who died while on active duty or retired status, or veterans on retired status.

General Information: The federal, state or private agency administering these educational assistance programs has sole responsibility for determining eligibility and awarding benefits. Most federal VA educational benefits are payable for 10 years from the date of discharge or the date of eligibility. Generally, veterans with dishonorable discharge are not eligible. Federal or state legislation reserves the right to change, without notice, any programs and guidelines for eligibility.

Tutorial Assistance
You may receive monetary assistance from the Department of Veterans Affairs to pay a tutor, if one is required. All chapters except Chapter 31 must pay the tutor directly and then submit a claim for reimbursement for tutorial assistance to the VA. Those students that receive benefits under the S.C. State Free Tuition program only are not eligible for tutorial reimbursement. Additional information is available at TTC's Veteran's Assistance office.

Veterans Work-Study Program: There are a limited number of VA work-study positions for veterans attending college in the Charleston area. The Department of Veteran's Affairs pays minimum wage for this work. These wages are tax-free.

Receiving Benefits
As a student receiving VA educational benefits, you may receive benefits only for those courses that are required for graduation in your major and as approved by the South Carolina State Approving Agency. In addition, the VA will not pay for audited courses or courses for which you have already received transfer credit or received a passing grade. The VA pays benefits for courses that are repeated if the courses are within the program outline and were previously failed.

Transfer Credit
The VA requires all students receiving benefits to have their military and/or college transcripts submitted and reviewed for transfer credit. The VA requires the College to report transfer credits that will apply to a student’s major within two semesters of enrollment or VA benefits will be interrupted until a report of prior credit is submitted to the VA. This requirement also applies when a student changes their major.

Veterans Attendance Policy
All veterans and eligible persons receiving VA educational benefits while enrolled at TTC are required to maintain class attendance. When a student’s absences in a traditional class exceed two consecutive weeks of scheduled meetings after the drop/add period, the instructor will complete and submit an attendance/progress report to TTC's Veteran Assistance Office. If a student ceases active involvement in online or other modes of distance learning courses for two consecutive weeks, the same procedure of reporting will apply. Attendance reports resulting in a reduction of credit hours enrolled have to be reported to the Department of Veterans Affairs and will result in an overpayment of benefits.  The TTC VA Office will submit the attendance reports to the Department of Veterans Affairs Regonal Office in Atlanta or the Department of Veterans Affairs Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Office in Charleston, SC. Circumstances may occur that allow the student to have his/her benefits reinstated. Reinstatement can only occur within the semester in which the changes originated.

Veterans Tuition Payments
All veteran students, with the exception of Chapter 31, Vocational Rehabilitation or S.C. State Free Tuition recipients, are required to pay their tuition and fees by the deadline date published in TTC’s On Course. These payments are due without regard to receipt of benefits checks from the Department of Veterans Affairs. Contact the Veterans Assistance Office on the Main Campus (Bldg. 410, 843.574.6105) or Palmer Campus (Room 127A, 843.937.5356) for additional information.

Veterans Refund
TTC processes the applications of eligible veterans, spouses and children of 100 percent disabled or deceased veterans, according to the provisions established by the Department of Veterans Affairs and the State of South Carolina. The Department of Veterans Affairs may require repayment of overpayment situations resulting from a student withdrawing from a class prior to course completion. The Department of Veterans Affairs may waive overpayment situations if there are mitigating circumstances involved. Students receiving benefits are required to keep TTC's Veterans Assistance Office informed of initial class registration and changes in enrollment status immediately. This will prevent underpayment or overpayment of VA benefits. Contact the Veterans Assistance Office on the Main Campus for additional information.

VA Certification for Online Courses
In order to meet VA certification requirements for off-campus courses such as practica, internships/externships and residencies, as well as courses offered via the Internet or other modes of distance learning, TTC acknowledges that these courses are part of the College’s approved curriculum, are directly supervised by the College, are measured in the same unit as other courses, are required for graduation, and are part of a program of study approved by the State Approving Agency. The College requires that the faculty teaching these courses use a grading system similar to the grading system used in resident courses and include statements in the course syllabus that indicate that appropriate assignments are needed for the completion of the course and that the student is expected to demonstrate, at least once a week, that he/she is actively involved in the class. Examples of activities that can be used to demonstrate this involvement include, but are not limited to, the following: posting/receiving e-mails, participating in online class discussions and class chat rooms, and completing and submitting course assignments. Further, TTC requires that these courses have schedules of time for training and instruction which demonstrate that students shall spend at least as much time in preparation, instruction and training as is normally required by the College for its resident courses.