Military & Veterans Services

Veterans Benefits and Transition Act of 2018 - Section 103

In compliance with section 103 of the Veterans Benefits and Transition Act of 2018, Southeast Community College will not impose the following penalties to covered individuals* due to the delayed disbursement of funding from the Department of Veterans Affairs:

• Preventing nor delaying the student's enrollment,
• the assessment of late fees,
• the denial of access to any resources, such as classes, libraries, or other institutional facilities that are available to other students who have satisfied their tuition and fees bills to the institution, or
• require the student to secure alternative or additional funding.

To qualify for this provision, such students are required to:

• Produce a Certificate of Eligibility for entitlement to educational assistance. This should be provided no later than the first day of a course of education for which the individual has indicated they wish to use their entitlement;
• Submit a written request to use the entitlement;
• Provide additional information needed to properly certify their enrollment as required by the Primary School Certifying Official.

This provision ends on the earlier of the following dates:

• The date on which payment from the VA is made to the institution
• 90 days after the date the institution certified tuition and fees following the receipt of the Certificate of Eligibility

*A covered individual is defined as any individual who is entitled to educational assistance under Chapter 31, Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Services, or Chapter 33, Post 9/11 G.I. Bill®

If an individual is unable to meet a financial obligation to the institution due to delayed disbursement of a payment under Chapter 31 or 33, and the amount of the disbursement is less than anticipated, the institution may require additional payment or may impose a fee for the amount. This is the difference between the amount of the financial obligation and the amount of the disbursement.

The student must notify Southeast Community College of his military service and intention to return to school as follows:

Notification of military service. The student (or an appropriate officer of the armed forces or official of the Department of Defense) must give oral or written notice of such service to the school as far in advance as is reasonable under the circumstances. This notice does not have to indicate whether the student intends to return to the school and may not be subject to any rule of timeliness. (Timeliness must be determined by the facts in each case.) Alternatively, at the time of readmission, the student may submit an attestation of military service that necessitated his absence from school. No notice is required if precluded by military necessity, such as service in operations that are classified or would be compromised by such notice.

Notification of intent to return to school. The student must also give oral or written notice of her intent to return to the school within three years after the completion of the period of service. A student who is hospitalized or convalescing due to an illness or injury incurred or aggravated during the performance of service must notify the school within two years after the end of the period needed for recovery from the illness or injury. A student who fails to apply for readmission within these periods does not automatically forfeit eligibility for readmission but is subject to the school’s established leave of absence policy and general practices.

Student Loan Cohort Default Rate. Southeast Community College provides Service members access to an institutional financial aid advisor who will make available appropriate loan counseling including disclosing the educational institution’s student loan Cohort Default Rate (CDR), upon request. The Veterans Office at Southeast Community College will notify enrolled service members if the Cohort Default Rate rises above the national average and provide loan repayment data.