Active Duty

Military members who are currently serving full-time in their military capacity. Members of a reserve component may be "called up" to serve on active duty.

ACE

American Council on Education. Refers to the transcript services for formal military course credits offered by all branches and occupations of the military.

DD 214

Department of Defense Form 214. "Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty". The DD 214 is used to claim VA Benefits/G.I. Bill benefits. Also can be used to claim benefits directly relating to OSU funds, such as exemption from the Advanced Tuition Deposit (ATD).

Mitigating Circumstances

Mitigating circumstances are circumstances beyond the student's control that prevent the student from  continuing in school or that cause the student to reduce credits. 

Examples are: 

  • An illness or death in the student’s immediate family. 
  • An illness or injury afflicting the student during the enrollment period. 
  • An unavoidable change in the student’s conditions of employment. 
  • An unavoidable geographical transfer resulting from the student’s employment. 
  • Immediate family or financial obligations beyond the control of the claimant that require him or her to  suspend pursuit of the program of education to obtain employment. 
  • Discontinuance of the course by the school. 
  • Unanticipated active military service, including active duty for training.  
  • Unanticipated difficulties with childcare arrangements the student has made for the period during which  he or she is attending classes. 
MST

Military Sexual Trauma – may include any sexual activity performed against one's will, either through physical force, threats of negative consequences, implied promotion, promises of favored treatment, or sex without consent due to intoxication, etc. Other events that may be categorized as MST may include: unwanted sexual contact, threatening, offensive remarks and unwelcome sexual advances. The Veterans Health Administration provides medical and mental health services to enrolled Veterans to report MST and has implemented mandatory screening for MST among all Veterans enrolled in the VHA program. For more information,  visit MST Homepage and The Invisible War.

National Reserves/National Guard

Members generally perform a minimum of 39 days of military duty per year and augment the active duty military forces when necessary. Reserve Units (in every branch of the military) are commanded at the federal level and the general purpose is to provide trained units in time of war or other national emergency. Army National Guard and Air National Guard are generally commanded at the state level by governors, and called to active duty in response to domestic emergencies and disasters.

NGB-22

The National Guard discharge document that provides proof of serving in the Guard. This document shows the nature of the discharge, time served and other critical information a recruiter would need to process your enlistment.

ODVA

Oregon Department of Veterans' Affairs.

PTSD

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder – "A mental health disorder that can occur after the person has been through a trauma. A trauma is usually defined by an event that could have caused injury or death, thinking that your life or others' lives are in danger, feeling afraid, or feeling that you have no control over what is happening. Symptoms may include reliving the event/triggers, flashbacks/nightmares, avoiding reminders of the event, feeling numb or depressed, or feeling keyed up (hyper arousal)." Some veterans experience symptoms of PTSD after being involved in combat/battle events and other war activities. (From PTSD Overview.)

Care and treatment options are available through any therapist or mental health practitioner, or by searching the Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Centers and Clinics list. CAPS (Counseling and Psychological Services) here on campus will also take appointments and make referrals as needed.

Service Member

A person who is currently serving in the United States Armed Forces. Reserve and National Guard military personnel are considered service member as well.

SVA

Student Veterans Association. OSU organization dedicated to providing veterans and their family members with the base of support and community along with other OSU students, faculty, and staff. There is also a Veterans Lounge, a safe space for veterans and their families, located on the Memorial Union main floor.

Veteran

A person who has served in the United States Armed Forces. Another term used is "former armed services personnel". The United States Armed Forces consist of the branches of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard. A veteran could also have served in a National Guard or Reserve unit.

Where can I get a general overview of the types of VA Benefits used by OSU student veterans for higher education?

Check out our VA Education Benefits webpage.

 

How can I find out how many months of education benefits I have remaining?

If you are using Chapter 33 benefits you can obtain this information at the va.gov web site. All other VA benefits must call the VA Education Benefit hotline, at 1-888-442-4551, to receive an updated status of their remaining eligibility.  You may also login to the GI Bill Ask a Question page to receive the answer to this and other questions.

 

What do I need to know about how benefits and the Degree Partnership Program (DPP) work together?
Degree Partnership Program students
  • Using benefits to cover courses taken simultaneously at other institutions as a Degree Partner student or other status: If you are receiving benefits through OSU, we are your parent school. The other institution needs approval from the Veteran Certifying Official at OSU allowing them to certify your courses at their institution.
  • Contact your OSU advisor to get approval for the courses you plan to take in the following term.
  • Your advisor can email his or her approval to the Veteran Certifying Official.
  • The email must include a statement that courses being taken apply to a degree program offered at OSU. The statement must include the course number and name of the class.
  • The Veteran Certifying Official will send a "Parent School" Letter of approval to your other institution.
  • The other institution will then be able to certify you to the VA for the specified courses.
  • The Veteran Certifying Official will then issue enrollment certification documents to the appropriate VA Regional office in order to monitor the student's satisfactory academic progress.

Oregon State University will certify OSU courses; other institutions will certify their own courses.

Approval may be a copy of the student's schedule from the other school signed by an OSU advisor indicating that the courses will transfer to OSU and apply to the student's degree program. An email from the student's advisor to the veterans certifying official that includes a list of the approve courses is also acceptable.

The veterans certifying official must be provided with the advisor's approval for courses students are enrolled in at other institutions.

Once approval is received, OSU will send a Parent School Letter to the other institution, which permits the other institution to certify enrollment in those courses."

Note: Veteran DPP students may have to work closely with the VA Certifying Officials and their academic advisors to determine which courses fulfill Bac Core, and which fulfill major requirements.

 

What do I need to know about benefits and E-campus or distance learning coursework?

For the most part benefits don't change for E-campus students.

To be eligible for BAH you must be attending over half time.  Veterans who are collecting Chapter 33, Post 9/11 benefits who are only taking courses online for the term will receive a Housing Allowance that is half of the national average, which can be calculated at BAH Calculator. Students who either take a combination of E-campus and campus courses or all campus courses will be awarded the Housing Allowance based on the Corvallis campus zip code.
E-campus can be a wonderful way for veteran students to get access to higher education. Check out what E-campus veteran students have to say about their E-Campus Experience

Please note: BAH for Post 9/11 is E5 with dependents

 

Can benefits cover a veteran's tuition for a planned term(s) of study abroad?

For veterans using the Chapter 33 Post 9/11 benefit, if the courses within the program will count towards their major requirements, the benefit will pay a broken out amount equal to the resident tuition directly to the home school sponsoring the program. It will also pay a housing stipend and a book/supplies stipend to the student. The benefit will not pay any study abroad fees or other fees that are directly due to the foreign institution unless the program itself is directly required for the degree.

For veterans using other Chapter benefits that pay a stipend to the student directly monthly, and the student will also be able to use these funds for a study abroad program so long as they count as degere requirement.

For more detailed questions regarding a planned study abroad session, please speak with the Veteran Certifying Officials.

What if my VA payment is late to the university?

Oregon State University will not impose any penalty (e.g., interest charges, registration holds) due to the delayed disbursement funding from VA under chapters 31 or 33.

Who should I contact if they have general questions about how to adjust to the transition from military life to that of a student and how to take advantage of Veteran Services at Oregon State University?

Willie Elfering

Military and Veteran Resources Advisor
137 Snell Hall
[email protected]
Phone: 541-737-7662

 

Who should I contact with issues surrounding registration, benefits, and final authorization of student status?

OSU Veteran Certifying Official

Phone Number: 541-737-0747
Office of the Registrar
102 Kerr Administration Building
Corvallis, OR 97331-8519
Email Address: [email protected]

What happens if a veteran student receives orders and gets called up for active duty in the middle of a term?
There are several options:

Full withdrawal from all courses at any point during the term without academic or financial penalty. Tuition would be refunded in full.

Partial withdrawal from some (but not all) courses at any point during the term without academic or financial penalty. Students who have completed a significant portion of their course work may be eligible to receive the grades earned in courses up to that point in time and/or request incomplete grades according to existing guidelines. Tuition would be refunded for withdrawn courses.

No withdrawal from any courses. Students who have completed a significant portion of their course work may be eligible to a) receive the grade earned in courses up to that point in time and/or b) request incomplete grades according to existing guidelines. No tuition would be refunded.

Incomplete Grade Policy

When a requirement of a course has not been completed for reasons acceptable to the instructor and the rest of the academic work is passing, a report of "I" (incomplete) may be made and additional time granted. The "I" is only granted at the discretion of the instructor.

Decisions as to which option is best for the student will depend on the student's personal details, the time remaining in the term, the portion of coursework completed at the time of military activation, and understandings which can be reached with instructors.

Please contact the Office of the Registrar, (541) 737-4048, with any questions. Also, the student should contact Financial Aid to make sure all is in line for returning to coursework after deployment.

 

What should faculty instructors and advisors know about veterans and their time commitments?

Veterans may have to miss class for an appointment at a Veterans Affairs (VA) clinic or hospital, which if missed can take 1-4 months to reschedule or result in claims being denied.

It is the responsibility of the veteran to communicate with professors any accommodations required. All students, including veterans, have the same responsibility to complete coursework and university requirements.

Do Veterans automatically receive credit for HHS 241 or PAC?

Oregon State University will grant 1.00 quarter credit for the course HHS 241 Lifetime Fitness Lab. For HHS 241 credit to be granted, students must submit either the DD214 or an official ACE transcript. Credit will also be granted if one of the following military science courses has been completed successfully: Physical Fitness, Physical Education, or Physical Conditioning. To receive credit, please submit an official transcript from the institution.

 

How are other military credits articulated?

Oregon State University will assess and award block transfer credit (up to 45) upon review of the student's military record as recommended by the American Council on Education's (ACE) Guide to the Evaluation of Educational Experiences in the Armed Services. Students may request evaluation of military credit by furnishing the Office of Admissions with an AARTS, SMART, JST, CCAF and US Coast Guard transcript. Transcripts may be obtained through their homepage at: ARMY (AARTS), NAVY (SMART), Joint Services (JST), Air Force (CCAF) and US Coast Guard Institute (USCG). Additional informational links to other service pages can be found on the ACE website. Choose "Programs and services from the top menu and then "military programs".

College Head Advisors should be consulted regarding using military credit(s) towards course requirements for a student's major program of study.

How does a Veteran or Service Member obtain an education plan to provide to the Military or Federal VA?

The first step is to apply to Oregon State University. By providing the DD214 to the OSU admissions office the Veteran or Service Member can have their application fee and Advanced Tuition Deposit deferred.

Have the Student submit official transcripts of any college level transfer coursework to the OSU admissions office for evaluation. It can take up to 6 weeks for your transcripts to be evaluated once they have been received by Oregon State University Admissions.

Once the transcripts have been reviewed by the admissions office, an academic advisor for their program major can work with them to develop a course plan.

If you have any questions not addressed on this website, please email your inquiry to [email protected].

How much will Tuition Assistance cover at OSU?

Tuition Assistance will pay up to $166.67 towards your tuition costs. 

 

I need a Tuition Statement to get my Tuition Assistance authorization.  How do I do that?

If it is before the term and billing has not posted to your account yet than you will need to contact the Student Accounts Office ([email protected] or 541.737.3775) and request a Tuition Estimate. Be sure to state it is for Military Tuition Assistance.

If the bill has posted to your account you can view it at mybill.oregonstate.edu and submit that for Tuition Assistance authorization.

 

Who do I send my Tuition Assistance authorization to?

You can send that to the Veteran Certifying Officials at [email protected]

 

When will the Tuition Assistance funds post to my student account?

Funds generally post within two weeks of receipt of authorization.  You will want to contact Third Party Billing if you do not see the funds on your account.

 

Can I use Tuition Assistance with the GI Bill?

If you are collecting Chapter 1606/1607 than you cannot use Tuition Assistance and Veterans Affairs benefits for the same course.

If you are using Montgomery GI Bill-Active Duty (Chp 30) and Top-Up than you cannot use Tuition Assistance and Veteran Affairs for the same course. 

If you are registered for courses outside of your TA authorization than those can be certified under Montgomery GI Bill-Active Duty (Chp 30).

How do I start my Post 9/11 benefits when I have used up all of my Montgomery GI Bill?

If you are eligible for the Post 9/11 GI Bill and you run out of MGIB benefits, the VA will start drawing off of your Post 9/11 GI Bill.

If you want to continue using your GI Bill benefits, then you’ll want to switch over to the Post 9/11 GI Bill by submitting VA Form 22-1990 from the va.gov website. In Part II block 9f mark the Chapter 33 block and put in an effective date after you are sure you will be out of MGIB benefits. Also mark the Chapter 30 block as the GI Bill you are giving up even though it has no education benefits left to use.

 

Make sure that you pick an effective date after you have completely exhausted your Montgomery GI Bill benefits, if you have any days left, that number of days is all that you will get of Post 9/11 benefits.

 

When you get your new Certificate of Eligibility, it will show you have less than 12 months left to use because the VA deducted the time from when you ran out of MGIB until the end of the semester.