Military and Veteran Programs

1. Apply for you VA Education Benefits

   • Learn about the different education benefits offered by the VA

   • Apply Online

It may take up to 30 days for the VA to process your application. Once approved, the VA will mail you a Certificate of Eligibility (COE), which will be required for Military & Veterans Programs to process your benefits.

Welcome to OC! We're thrilled you've chosen to complete your degree at Olympic College. We're here to help you with the information you need. It all starts with your New Student Orientation and VA Briefing!

    Register Now!

• Complete the Self-Paced GI Bill 101 for more detailed information related to using VA education benefits at Olympic College.

To start using your VA or DoD Education Benefits at Olympic College, please complete one of the checklists below. If you do not know which benefit you are eligible to apply for, contact MVP staff for help!

DoD/Active-Duty Education Benefits New Student Checklist - PDF Download 
Ch. 33 Post 9/11 GI Bill® Education Benefits New Student Checklist - PDF Download 
Ch. 31 Veterans Readiness & Employment Education Benefits New Student Checklist - PDF Download 
Ch. 35 Dependents Education Assistance Education Benefits New Student Checklist - PDF Download
Ch. 30 Montgomery GI Bill® and Ch. 30-1606 MGIB - Selective Reserves Education Benefits New Student Checklist - PDF Download

Need to book an advising appointment?

 Our Advising team can assist you with first-quarter advising, education plans for VA benefits/TA, registering for classes, exploring transfer options, unofficial transcript reviews, and more!

You can book your own appointment using the links below, or by contacting the Student Services Virtual Lobby

Book an appointment with Tatiane Simons

Book an appointment with Viviana Byrd

Log into your Student Microsoft account before accessing these links, or you may receive an error when attempting to access them. You can login your Student Microsoft account at office.com, your username is your student email address, and your password is the same you set up for your student email.

• Military & Veteran Program's Student Agreement
• Military & Veteran Program's 100% Tuition Waiver Application
• Change of Program Plan Request 
• Military & Veteran Program's VA Certificate of Eligibility Waiver
• Military & Veteran Program's Secure Upload

Forms from other departments across campus

• Transcript Evaluation Request Form
• SING Financial Assistance Grant
• Permission to Release Student Information

Olympic College Military-Affliated students may qualify for resident tuition costs per Washington State Legislature :

Laws

RCW 28B.15.012

RCW 28B.15.013

RCW 28B.15.0131

RCW 28B.15.0139

RCW 28B.15.014

250-18 WAC

All military-affiliated students

Starting June 9, 2022, military members (including national guard and reservists), veterans, and dependents (spouses, former spouses, and children) who are eligible for VA educational assistance or rehabilitation benefits are a Washington resident student. 

There is no time limit for when the student must enroll. 

• The student does not need to live in Washington.
• The student does not need to be actively using the benefits.
• The military member or veteran does not need to serve for a certain amount of time or have a certain type of service. 
• The student maintains resident student status as long as they stay continuously enrolled.
• The benefits are those defined in Title 38 U.S.C. and Title 10 U.S.C. Chapter 1606. They include:
  • Post-9/11 GI Bill®
  • Montgomery GI Bill® – Active Duty
  • Montgomery GI Bill® – Selected Reserve (for National Guard and Reserve members)
  • Chapter 31 Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment
  • Chapter 35 or Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational Assistance (DEA)
  • Marine Gunnery Sergeant John Fry Scholarship
  • Edith Nourse Rogers STEM Scholarship

Current military members

In addition to qualifying for residency by being eligible for VA educational or rehabilitation benefits, these current military members are also Washington resident students:

• Active duty members stationed in Washington. 
• Starting June 9, 2022: Active duty members who are stationed out-of-state after being stationed in Washington maintain resident student status as long as they are either:
  • Enrolled in a Washington institution prior to the reassignment and stay continuously enrolled after the reassignment or 
  • Enroll in a Washington institution within three years of the date of reassignment.
• Active duty members who live in Washington and are stationed in an Oregon county that borders Washington.
• Washington National Guard members (do not have to be on active duty). 
• Active duty members or Washington national guard members stationed out-of-state who entered service as a Washington resident and maintained their Washington domicile.

Military veterans

In addition to qualifying for residency by being eligible for VA educational or rehabilitation benefits, these veterans are also Washington resident students:

• Starting June 9, 2022: Veterans who had at least 10 years of honorable service and at least 90 days of active duty service (separation does not have to be from active duty).
  • This is for students who are not eligible for VA educational or rehabilitation benefits.
  • They must enter school within three years of separation/retirement from the military.
  • They do not need to live in Washington.
  • They maintain resident student status as long as they stay continuously enrolled.
  • Does not apply to veterans who have a dishonorable discharge from the uniformed services.
• Veterans who were discharged from the uniformed services due to sexual orientation or gender identity/expression.
  • They do not need to live in Washington.
  • They do not need to enter school within a certain amount of time after separating from the military.
  • They maintain resident student status as long as they stay continuously enrolled.
  • Does not apply to veterans who have a dishonorable discharge from the uniformed services.

Military dependents

In addition to qualifying for residency by being eligible for VA educational or rehabilitation benefits, these military dependents are Washington resident students:

• Spouses, state registered domestic partners, or dependents (as defined in Title 10 U.S.C. Sec. 1072(2)) of active duty members stationed in Washington or of Washington national guard members (national guard members do not have to be on active duty). 
  • The student does not need to live in Washington. 
  • If the active duty member or national guard member is stationed out-of-state, the student maintains resident student status as long as they are either:
  • Enrolled in a Washington institution prior to the reassignment and stay continuously enrolled after the reassignment or 
  • Starting June 9, 2022: Enroll in a Washington institution within three years of the date of reassignment.
  • Spouses, state-registered domestic partners, or dependents (as defined in Title 10 U.S.C. Sec. 1072(2)) of active duty members or Washington national guard members stationed out-of-state who entered service as a Washington resident and maintained their Washington domicile. The student does not need to live in Washington.
• Spouses, state-registered domestic partners and children under 26 of a veteran who separated or retired from the uniformed services with at least ten years of honorable service and at least 90 days of active duty service (separation/retirement does not have to be from active duty).  
  • This is for students who are not eligible for VA educational or rehabilitation benefits.
  • The student must enter school within three years of the veteran’s separation/retirement.
  • Neither the dependent nor the veteran need to live in Washington. 
  • The student maintains resident student status as long as they stay continuously enrolled.
  • Does not apply if the veteran had a dishonorable discharge from the uniformed services.
• People who live in Washington and are spouses or dependents of active duty members who live in Washington and are stationed in an Oregon county that borders Washington. If the active duty member moves out of Washington or is stationed outside of an Oregon county that borders Washington, the student maintains resident student status as long as they are either:
  • Enrolled in a Washington institution prior to the reassignment/move and stay continuously enrolled after the reassignment/move or 
  • Admitted to an institution before the reassignment/move and enrolled in the institution for the term the student was admitted.
     

Contact MVP Staff for more information or to update your resident tuition status.

Check out the Washington State Achievement Council WSAC National Guard Grant

The National Guard Grant helps eligible, actively participating members of the Washington National Guard get an undergraduate degree or certificate. The program provides education opportunities to qualified service members and serves as an incentive to extend their National Guard service.

Participants commit to serving one year in the Washington National Guard in exchange for each year of grant funding. Combined with state and federal aid, grants can cover tuition and fees at approved colleges in Washington, as well as a portion of books and materials.

Those interested are encouraged to reach out to their education office or recruiter for more information on good standing with the Washington National Guard. The Washington National Guard may select applicants to meet certain recruitment needs.

Starting Friday, December 17, 2021, all students using Chapter 33 Post 9-11 GI Bill® Educational Benefits, who receive Monthly Housing Allowance (MHA) and/or kicker payments will be required monthly to verify their enrollment status monthly to continue receiving their payments. 

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What is Enrollment Verification?

This is different from the MVP’s enrollment certification process before the beginning of each term.

The new monthly enrollment verification is a Veteran Affairs requirement for Post 9/11 GI Bill students to certify that they have remained enrolled in the same courses the VARC has previously certified. 

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How do I verify enrollment?

You can verify enrollment using the following methods:

Via Text Message:

Opt in: Students with a U.S. mobile phone number can use text messages as a simple, quick option for verifying monthly enrollment. As your enrollment approaches, you will receive the following opt-in text: “Post-9/11 GI Bill housing and kicker payments now require monthly enrollment verification. Would you like to submit yours via text? Please reply YES or NO.” Reply “YES” to opt in. The text message link will expire 14 days after receipt, so please respond within that time frame.
Verify: After opting in, you can verify your enrollment every month simply by responding to the following text message from VA: “Did you remain enrolled in your courses in MONTH YEAR as certified? Please reply YES or NO. If you have dropped all your courses, you must reply NO.” Reply “YES” to verify enrollment for the previous month.  If you don’t reply within 6 days, the conversation will expire and you will need to call the Education Call Center (ECC) at 1-888-GIBILL-1 (1-888-442-4551) domestically or 001-918-781-5678 internationally to verify your enrollment.

Enrollment verification via text message is safe and secure. VA will never ask for your personal information, such as social security number or bank account information, via text.

VA strongly recommends text message verification for verifying your enrollment. 

Via Email:

If you opt out of text messages, can’t verify by text, or do not have a US mobile phone number, you will be automatically enrolled in email verification at the email address on file with VA. NOTE: NCD students who previously opted out of text message verification will automatically be enrolled into email verification after January 15, 2022.
After being opted into email verification, you will receive an email with the subject line, “Confirmation: You’ve been enrolled into VA’s email verification!”
On the last day of each month, you will receive an email with the subject line, “Action Required: Verify Your Monthly Enrollment”. Select “Yes, my enrollment is the same” to verify your enrollment. After selecting your response, you will be taken to a confirmation page thanking you for verifying your monthly enrollment.
If you don’t select a response within 14 days, the links in your email will expire and you will need to call the ECC to verify your enrollment.
If your enrollment status has changed, select “No, my enrollment has changed.” Please contact your SCO to ensure your enrollment record with VA has been adjusted.

If you are unable to verify via text or email, you will need to contact the ECC at 1-888-GIBILL-1 (1-888-442-4551) and ask a representative to verify your enrollment. NOTE: ECC wait times may be high due to the number of students verifying enrollment each month. If you’re not sure if VA has your phone number and/or email on file, you can also contact the ECC to update your contact information and ensure you can verify via text or email.

What happens if I fail to verify my enrollment?

If you fail to verify enrollment for two consecutive months, your MHA/kicker payments will be placed on hold.  In order to have your payments released, you will need to call the ECC to verify your enrollment. When you call the ECC to release your payments, you may also enroll in text message verification at that time.

Why am I being required to verify my enrollment?

By regularly verifying your enrollment, you protect your GI Bill entitlement by preventing charges for classes or training you did not attend. Though this new requirement is an additional step, enrollment verification is easy to do and will help you better manage and access your earned benefits, as well as help prevent overpayments.

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