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Military-Connected Student FAQs

Answers to Common Questions About Education Benefits

  • Terms starting on or after December 17, 2021, all Post-9/11 GI Bill® students who receive MHA and/or kicker payments need to verify enrollment every month. This is a Veteran Affairs requirement for Post 9/11 GI Bill® students to certify that they have remained enrolled in the same courses the MCC Veterans Certifying Official has previously certified for the quarter.
  • Students have the option to verify enrollment via text message or email. Veterans Affairs (VA) strongly recommends using text or email, but if these options are unavailable, students may call the Education Call Center (ECC) at 1-888-GIBILL-1 (1-888-442-4551) to verify enrollment. Please be advised that calling the ECC may result in long wait times.
  • All impacted students with a U.S. mobile phone number on file should receive an opt-in text message after being enrolled in courses. Students must respond to that text within 14 days. After opting in, simply reply to a VA text message each month to verify enrollment. If you opt out of text message verification or do not respond to the opt-in text, you will be automatically enrolled in email verification with the email address on file with VA. If you do not receive a text message, need to verify your enrollment over the phone, opt into text verification, or enroll in email verification, you may call the Education Call Center (ECC) at 1-888-GIBILL-1 (1-888-442-4551).
  • If you fail to submit enrollment verification for two consecutive months, your Monthly Housing Allowance (MHA)/kicker payments will be held until you verify your enrollment. For example, if your term starts on January 1 of the calendar year and you fail to verify your enrollment for January and February, your March payments will be placed on hold.
  • Visit VA Chapter 33 enrollment verification for additional information.

Please contact your Veteran Certifying Official if you are using Chapter 33 benefits, have a business office hold on your account, and are unable to register for classes. Your Veteran Certifying Official may be able to work with student accounts to remove the hold for registration. Please note, Chapter 33, post-9/11 students who are not at 100% benefit will be required to pay their portion of tuition and fees prior to releasing a business office hold being released.

Please contact your Veteran Certifying Official if you plan to change your program of study. Changing a program may impact the ability to certify your courses to Veteran Affairs, and may create debt for you.

  • Please contact your Veteran Certifying Official if you plan to withdraw from a course after census date. If you withdraw from a course after census date, you will incur a debt with Veteran Affairs. Students may be required to pay tuition and fees as well as a portion of housing allowance if applicable.
  • Military and Veteran Services will be notified of schedule changes and will adjust your certification accordingly. Please work with your advisor to ensure all of your classes are within your program.

  • Program requirements – Veteran Affairs (VA) will cover only classes required for your current VA-approved program of study
  • Repeated courses – students who have taken a class and achieved the minimum program-required grade will not be certified for a repeat attempt
  • Failing a class – students who fail a class will be certified for a second attempt. In some cases, classes that are specifically required for a program, and for which there is no alternative, will be certified for a third attempt. Students must meet with the Associate Director of Military and Veteran Services prior to a third attempt. Chapter 31 students are only authorized two course attempts.
  • Placement in Math or English – students will only be certified for Math or English classes for which they have a valid placement
  • Remedial courses – (09XX classes) will only be certified for in-residence delivery
  • 1000 level, and above courses will generally not be certified for modular delivery

MCC students who have completed a FAFSA may access their College Financing Plan (CFP) Federal Shopping Sheet document, by logging into Self Service and clicking on the Financial Aid category.

In the event a student is unexpectedly called to active military service (deployment, TAD, etc.), the student should contact Military and Veterans Services (MVS) immediately to make arrangements for accommodation. The student should provide MVS a copy of military orders. MVS will work with the student to facilitate solutions that will not result in student debt for returned portions of educational benefit funds and will provide opportunity to re-take or complete coursework. Options for course resolution may include:

  • An “I” grade. According to the MCC catalog, “I” grades are issued due to extenuating circumstances. Students may be given an extension of time to complete course objectives. Assignment of “I” grades is a faculty prerogative and is issued when students, who have completed the majority (at least 60 percent) of the course requirements, are unable to complete the remainder due to unusual or extenuating circumstances. An “I” grade must be made up no later than 11 months after the end of the quarter in which the “I” grade was issued or it becomes an F. Prior to issuing the Incomplete grade, the instructor and the student meet to discuss a timeline for completing the remaining assignments and/or tests in order for the student to earn a quality letter grade. The instructor sends an email to the student, and copies the appropriate academic dean, confirming the due date for the remaining work. (Does not count in computation of grade point average)
  • If the call to service occurs at a point in the term where the student has completed enough work to be issued a grade, a grade for the course may be issued based on completed progress.
  • The student may withdraw from the College, with Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense considering unanticipated call to active service a mitigating circumstance.

Students who need school verification sent to ChampVA must make the request to their Veteran Certifying Official. ChampVA will be updated after census date to accurately reflect any additions or drops from the beginning of the term.