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Veterans Education Benefits & FAQ

Veterans Education Benefits

Veterans Education Benefits FAQ

Veterans Education Benefits

Pima Community College is approved by the Department of Veterans Affairs as a degree-granting institution for VA Education Benefits. Students seeking to use their Veterans education benefits must apply for admission to PCC and contact the Military and Veterans Services Office to be assigned a Veteran Advisor. Veteran Advisors are located in the campus Student Service Centers and the Downtown Campus Veterans Center.

Veteran Benefit Recipients (VBRs) must select an approved program of study. Students must complete a MyDegreePlan planner with their assigned veteran advisor each semester. Students will only receive VA benefits for courses that are required for their program of study. VBRs must also submit a Veteran’s Certification Worksheet to the Military and Veterans Services Office each semester to request certification of their courses.

Students are asked to promptly notify their Veteran Advisor of any changes made to their schedules once the request to be certified has been submitted. Changes to certifications can affect VA payments and may cause VA debt. For more information regarding VA education benefits, contact the Military and Veterans Services Office at 520-206-2266 or veterans@pima.edu.

Transfer of Previously Earned Credit

Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) requires that all students receiving education benefits have their “prior military and/or college experience” evaluated for credit toward their program of study at Pima Community College. Students must have all official college and military transcripts sent to PCC for evaluation. Upon receipt of the transcripts, the College will evaluate them to determine what credit is eligible for acceptance at PCC.

Standards of Academic Progress for Veteran Benefit Recipients

Veteran Benefit Recipients Standards of Academic Progress may be found in the College Catalog under the Standards of Academic Progress for Credit Students section. Refer to page 27.

Title 38, US Code 3679 (e), VA Pending Payment Compliance

In accordance with Title 38 US Code 3679 subsection (e), this school adopts the following additional provisions for any students using U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) Post 9/11 G.I. Bill® (Ch. 33) or Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E, Ch. 31) benefits, while payment to the institution is pending from the VA. This school will not: Prevent the student’s enrollment; Assess a late penalty fee to; Require student secure alternative or additional funding; Deny their access to any resources (access to classes, libraries, or other institutional facilities) available to other students who have satisfied their tuition and fee bills to the institution. However, to qualify for this provision, such students may be required to: Provide Chapter 33 Certificate of Eligibility (or its equivalent) or for Chapter 31, VA VR&E’s contract with the school by the first day of class.

Practical Training

All practical training courses offered by this institution meet the requirements outlined in Title 38 CFR 21.4265.

Additional VA Education Benefits

The VA Work Study Program and Tutorial Assistance are programs that are available as part of the VA benefit for students who are eligible for VA education benefits and have completed the enrollment certification process. For information, contact the Military and Veterans Services Office at 520-206-2266 or veterans@pima.edu. 

Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act: Section 105

Effective August 1, 2018, the law requires the monthly housing allowance (MHA) under the Post-9/11 GI Bill® program to be calculated based on the zip code of the campus where the student physically attends the majority of classes.

PCC Training Site Location Zip Codes:

Desert Vista Campus 5901 S. Calle Santa Cruz Tucson, AZ 85706

Downtown Campus 1255 N. Stone Ave. Tucson, AZ 85705

East Campus 8181 E. Irvington Road Tucson, AZ 85730

Northwest Campus 7600 N. Shannon Road Tucson, AZ 85741

West Campus 2202 W. Anklam Road Tucson, AZ 85745

Aviation Technology Center 7211 S. Park Ave. Tucson, AZ 85756

Center for Transportation Training (Truck Driver Training site at Maintenance & Security) 6680 S. Country Club Road Tucson, AZ 85756

Davis-Monthan Air Force Base Education Center 5355 E. Granite St. Building 2441, Suite 100 Tucson, AZ 85707-3011

Public Safety and Emergency Services Institute - PCC 29th Street Coalition Center 4355 E. Calle Aurora Tucson, AZ 85709-5000

PCC - Santa Cruz County 2021 N. Grand Ave., Nogales, AZ 85621

Student Veterans use the physical addresses only to calculate MHA for benefits purposes, and not for official correspondence.


VA Education Benefits FAQ

Here is some need-to-know and good-to-know information.

What courses do not qualify for certification for payment?

  • Remedial and developmental coursework (<100 level classes) taken online.
  • Classes that do not fulfill the program of study requirements for your degree. Only enroll in courses and prerequisites that apply towards your degree or certificate.
  • Duplicate coursework. Transfer credit must be evaluated as per VA policy. Make sure all transcripts are ordered and applied to your student record as soon as possible.
  • Incomplete attendance of self-paced or independent study classes. You must attend for the entire term or the VA will only pay you until your last day of attendance. You will be required to submit a Self-Paced Acknowledgement form indicating you understand this policy.

What happens if I change my class schedule after I’ve submitted my PCC veterans certification worksheet?

Changes to your schedule after you submit your worksheet can cause overpayments and erroneous certifications. 

Registration/VA holds are placed on your account each term once your veteran advisor approves your classes for certification. The hold can be easily lifted by notifying your Veteran Advisor and telling them that you wish to change your schedule.  Whether you have been certified or not, you will need a new MyDegreePlan for your updated classes. 

Always submit a revised PCC veterans certification worksheet after making any changes.

How do my grades affect my benefits?

Receiving a “W” grade (withdrawal) or dropping classes can create an overpayment with the VA. Your benefit for that class will be terminated from your VA certification as if you had never attended the class.

The VA will still pay for your benefit if you receive an “F” grade (failing).

If you receive an Incomplete, “I” grade, the VA will pay for the class as if you completed it.  You will have one year to complete the class.  The VA will not pay you any additional stipend to complete the class.

You can be suspended from using VA benefits if you don’t maintain satisfactory academic progress (SAP). You must maintain a 2.0 GPA and 67% completion rate to use your VA benefit. 

What do I need to know about Chapter 33? 

  • Tuition and Fees are reported to the VA after the drop period for each part of term. Your enrollment is certified first to initiate your MHA and Book/Supplies stipend.
  • IncludED User Fee is not paid for by the VA.  This fee provides access to online resources in some classes

How do I get paid if I am using Chapter 30 or Chapter 1606?

You must complete the W.A.V.E. verification of enrollment on the last day of every month in order to initiate monthly stipend payments.  To access the form, go to https://www.gibill.va.gov/wave/index.do or call (877) 823-2378.

What do I need to do if I am using Chapter 31/VA Vocational Rehabilitation?
This benefit is managed the same way as the other VA benefits.  You must complete all the requirements on your Veterans Dashboard.  The only difference is that your VA Counselor must send PCC an authorization before we can certify you.

Where do I get help with my payments or benefits?

If you have general questions about your payments or benefits, contact
Muskogee VA Regional Processing Office
(888) 442-4551

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