Veterans Benefits
Laredo Community College has established an office to serve as a one-stop service center for enrolled veterans. The office is is located at the Ft. McIntosh Campus in the Student Financial Aid and Veteran Affairs Services Center.
Services available from the office are application for educational assistance allowance, guidance, and VA troubleshooting.
Veterans applying for advance pay should come by the office a minimum of forty-five days before planning to enter school. A copy of DD 214 is needed at the time of application.
Enrollment may be approved only for a program leading to either an Associate in Arts degree or an Associate in Applied Science degree, or any occupational (certificate) program offered at Laredo Community College.
A student who is receiving VA educational benefits must maintain a 2.0 grade point average to be considered making satisfactory progress.
Students who fail to achieve the above cumulative GPA, shall be placed on probation for one semester or summer term. If a student achieves a semester or summer term GPA of 2.0 or better during the probationary period, but has not achieved the required cumulative GPA, the student may be continued on probation for one more semester or summer term.
If the student fails to achieve a cumulative grade point average of a 2.0 at the end of the semester, the student will be reported to the Veterans Administration as making unsatisfactory academic progress and veteran benefits will be suspended.
It is the student’s responsibility to inform the Student Financial Aid & Veteran Affairs Services Center of any changes in enrollment status.
Any student enrolling under any of the various provisions for VA Educational Benefits must bring sufficient funds to cover the initial cost of tuition and fees because there is usually a period of four to eight weeks before the student receives the first payment from the VA.
Veterans with previous college or university training are required to have transcripts from other schools on file with the Student Financial Aid & Veteran Affairs Services Center before being considered for certification under the Veterans Administration. In addition, it is the responsibility of each student to request these transcript.
Veterans using the Hazlewood Act must submit an application of eligibility every semester/session to the Student Financial Aid & Veteran Affairs Services Center for exemption of payment of tuition. The documents verifying eligibility for exemption of the payment of tuition must be submitted to the Student Financial Aid & Veteran Affairs Services Center prior to the census date of each semester/session for which the student is claiming the benefits. The following documents must be submitted before qualifying for tuition exemption under the Hazlewood Act: (1) Copy of DD 214, (2) Letter from the Veterans Administration Regional Office stating that the student has expired his/her VA educational benefits, and (4) A notarized statement of Texas residency (at the time of enlistment in the service).
A veteran student qualifies for the Hazlewood Act exemption if the veteran was a U.S. citizen and a resident of Texas, served at least 181 days of active military duty and received an honorable discharge, separation, or a general discharge under honorable conditions. Students should be currently in Texas; they are not in default on any Federal Education loans; and they have attempted fewer than 150 semester credit hours since the fall of 1995.
Transferability of Benefits (Legacy Program)
Eligible veterans may assign unused hours of exemption eligibility to a child under certain conditions. To be eligible, the child must:
Be a Texas resident
Be the biological child, stepchild, adopted child. or claimed as a dependent in the current or previous tax year.
Be 25 years or younger on the first day of the semester or term for which the exemption is claimed (unless granted an extension due to a qualifying illness or debilitating condition). and
make satisfactory academic progress in a degree, certificate, or continuing education program as determined by the institution.
If a child to whom hours have been delegated falls to use all of the assigned hours, a veteran may re-assign the unused hours that are available to another dependent child.
NEW! Effective with tuition and fees charges fall, 2011, a veteran's spouse or a child's guardian, conservator, custodian, or other legally designated caretaker may re-assign unused hours to an eligible child (through Legacy) on behalf of the veterans if the veteran died prior to requesting the transfer of hours.
Laredo Community College is a member of ConAp (Concurrent Admissions Program). This program is an initiative by the Army Recruiting Command and participating colleges; men and women apply for admission at a participating college near their home concurrent with their enlistment in the Army. The college determines eligibility for courses after the student submits an application for admission and is assessed. Enrollment may be deferred for up to two years after discharge. By completing the admissions process, new soldiers make the all-important step to attend college after leaving the Army.