Aid for Veterans

The Office of Veterans Affairs, located in C-107, provides a full range of counseling services for veterans at LaGuardia Community College. The Veterans Coordinator provides information regarding all of the benefits available to students and assists veterans with any other college related issues.

Programs Available to Veterans Are:

Veterans Tutorial Benefits: To be eligible for tutorial benefits, veterans must be receiving monthly benefits on at least a half-time basis. A veteran is entitled to 12 months of tutorial benefits for a maximum of $ 100.00 per month.

Veterans Work-Study: Veterans must be receiving full-time benefits to be eligible for up to 750 hours of work per year. The hourly rate is $7.15, and placements are in areas that directly affect the student population.

Vocational Rehabilitation: This is available to veterans who have at least a 20% disability rating from the Veterans Administration and includes payment for tuition, fees and a monthly stipend. Full-time and part-time veteran students are eligible.

Benefits for Dependents of Veterans: There are numerous programs available to dependents of disabled veterans. For more information about these programs, please visit the Office of Veterans Affairs in C-107.

Veterans Administration Educational Benefits: Montgomery G.I. Bill-Active Duty (Chapter 30).

Eligibility Requirements: Individuals entering military service on or after July 1, 1985 have their basic military pay reduced by $ 100.00 a month for the first 12 months of their service, in order to be eligible for this educational assistance program. Individuals eligible for the Old G.I. Bill (Chapter 34) as of December 31, 1989, who meet certain eligibility criteria may also be eligible but do not have their basic pay reduced. Persons who, after December 31, 1976, received commissions as officers from service academies (e.g., West Point, the Naval Academy, etc.) or ROTC scholarship programs are not eligible for this program: Montgomery G.I. Bill - Selected Reserve (Chapter 1606, Title 10, U.S. Code).

For more information go to: www.gibill.va.gov

Entitlement/Monthly Rates: Active duty for 3 years, or 2 years active duty plus 4 years in the Selected Reserved or National Guard, entitles an individual to $1101.00 a month basic benefits for 36 months or the equivalent in part-time training. If an individual's initial obligated period of active duty is less than 3 years, which is not followed by service in the Selected Reserve, the basic educational assistance benefit is $753.00 monthly for 36 months (or the equivalent in part-time training). There is also a targeted, discretionary kicker of up to an additional $600.00 available to persons whose skills are critical to the military (e.g. Army College Fund, Navy Sea College Fund programs).

Important Notice Regarding Monthly Verifications: You can now submit your monthly verification forms by touch-tone telephone at (877) 823-2378 or at www.va.gov. Simply follow the link to the Web Automated Verification of Enrollment (WAVE) program. If your enrollment has changed during the month, you must verify your enrollment through the WAVE program. If you want to use one of these methods and do not want to receive verifications in the mail each month, call (888) GI-BILL1. You do, however, have to verify your enrollment each month in order to receive payment.

The Reserve Education Assistance Program (REAP) Chapter 1607 provides education assistance to Guard and Reservists who have served 90 days or more in a contingency operation after September 11, 2001. Applications are available on-line through the VA website at http://vabenefits.vba.va.gov/vonapp/main.asp

Eligibility Requirements: Must have been called to active duty under the federal authority for a contingency operation as determined by Congress or the President; must have served on active duty in a contingency operation for at least 90 continuous days after September 11, 2001; and must remain within your component to use benefits. The 35 months of full-time entitlement begin after the 90-day minimum service is completed. There is no time limit for using benefits provided the individual remains within his or her component. Once the individual leaves his or her component, or is discharged (except for disability), eligibility for REAP benefits ends.

Montgomery G.l. Bill-Selected Reserve (Chapter 1606, Title 10, U.S. Code)

Chapter 1606 of title 10, U.S.C., Educational Assistance for Members of the Selected Reserve, is also referred to as the Montgomery G.I. Bill-Selected Reserve. Since July 1, 1985, DVA has held benefit payment responsibility, although the funding of educational assistance payments under this program is provided by the Department of Defense.

The monthly rates of educational assistance allowance payable under Chapter 1606 for pursuit of a program of education are:

$329.00 per month for full-time pursuit

$246.00 per month for three-quarter-time pursuit

$163.00 per month for half-time pursuit

$82.25 per month for less than half-time pursuit

For additional information about Veterans Services at the College, visit the Veterans Services Office website at: http://www.lagcc.cuny.edu/veterans/