FAQs

The VA pays for all the following grades: “A”, “B”, “C”, “D”, “F”, and “P”. Grades not covered for VA payment are “NC”, “NP”, and “Audit” (U).

If you receive an Incomplete (“I” ) grade, and the “I” grade is not converted to a letter grade within one year from the last day of the term it was received in, your VA payment will be retroactively reduced back to the first day of the term it was received. You may not re-register for a course you received an “I” grade in for payment (unless a full year has gone by and the VA has already reduced your benefit payment). You must complete an “I” grade on your own.

The VA is notified if a student is not meeting satisfactory academic progress standards.

All schedule changes need to be reported to the VA School Certifying Official when your registration is changed. BCC allows you to drop classes before the end of week 1 or prior to drop date and receive a full refund. You can drop your courses this week or earlier and the college will give you a refund. VA benefits will be reduced or eliminated depending on your certification. Communicate with the VA School Certifying Official if you change your schedule. Keep in mind that notify your VA School Certifying Official any later may result in an over payment.

The VA allows you to withdraw up to 6-credits lifetime with no penalty after the 1st week of the term. Benefits are paid for the dropped course up until the date it is dropped. Outside of this lifetime
6-credit exclusion, unless mitigating circumstances are submitted by you and accepted by the VA, any reduction in credit load will result in a reduction of your benefits and you may be responsible for paying the VA for the cost of the course (CH 33 students). Students are advised to contact the VA directly before dropping a course to ask specific questions of how their benefits will be impacted.

The VA requires that veterans or dependents using VA education benefits maintain a 2.0 GPA or higher. Generally speaking, if a student veteran falls below a 2.0 GPA at BCC will have a HOLD on their account and will not be able to register for the following semester and are REQUIRED to sign a document with their Veterans Academic Counselor, referred to as a “Reinstatement from Academic Probation or Dismissal” in order to be recertified for the following academic semester. Failure to complete/comply with the agreement will result in denial of certification.

VRRAP covers maximum tuition and fees up to the national cap, for the 2021-2022 academic year $26042.81, regardless if they are out of state tuition and fees.

Student may take on line training under VRRAP as long as the facility is approved for distance learning, BCC however is not approved for Distant Learning. If the facility is approved, students may take both in class and online courses for the same enrollment period. ***Please note if your students are taking online courses under the COVID provisions, they will be required to return to in person training in June when the provision expires.

VRRAP only covers Associate or NCD certificate degrees. Also, VRRAP only covers payment for one program at one facility. There are no Bachelors/Master programs approved under VRRAP.

Students cannot be employed on the date of their application for VRRAP benefits. However, should a student obtain employment AFTER they begin training under VRRAP it is acceptable and they may continue under VRRAP. The facility will not receive their final 25% tution and fees payment until after the student graduates/completes their program of training.

VRRAP will only pay courses at the campus that the program takes place and will not account credits taken at other campuses.

If you are pursuing training through distance or online learning only and training at the more than half time rate, the MHA will be paid at the rate of one-half of the national average ($1,802.00 / 2 = $901) of the military Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) for an E-5 with dependents.

The Montgomery GI Bill® can provide educational assistance for eligible veterans who have served on active duty for two or more years and have been honorably discharged from the service. (For a veteran who served as Reservists for six or more years see Chapter 1606). Please go to the VA web site for further details on specific eligibility criteria: (https://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill/montgomery_bill.asp). All students who feel they might be eligible should submit an application on-line at www.va.gov/education/how-to-apply/ The Department of Veteran Affairs will review your application and will generally notify you of their decision within 30 days.

Verifying Enrollment Each Month: After the student has been approved for benefits by the VA and certified for the semester by the BCC Certifying Official he/she must verify continued enrollment with the federal VA office in Muskogee, Oklahoma. This must be done at the beginning of each following month before payments will be issued. For example, classes start in August you verify September 1, and so on, by either calling 1-877-823-2378 or by going to the VA web site at www.gibill.va.gov

Veterans Readiness & Employment “VR&E” (formally Vocational Rehabilitation & Employment) provides assistance for veterans who have a service-connected disability rating of at least 10% from the VA and who do not have a dishonorable discharge.

Learn more about eligibility and how to apply by clicking this LINK below:

Eligibility for Veteran Readiness and Employment

Apply for VR&E either:

1. via ebenefits (preferred),
2. via your County Veterans Service Office (VSO) by paper claim, or
3. Veterans Regional Office 1301 Clay Street, Room 1300 North, Oakland, CA 94612, 1-800-827-1000 or (510) 637-6128

This GI Bill® Is for Veterans who served on active duty for a defined period of time after 09/10/01. Chapter 33 offers Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH, a book stipend per term/semester (not to exceed $1,000 per academic year) and pays for tuition and required college fees. For further information about the Post-9/11 GI Bill go to: https://www.va.gov/education/about-gi-bill-benefits/post-9-11/ or https://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill/post911_gibill.asp The VA web-site also provides continuous updates about new GI bill program(s).

Apply on-line for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® at www.va.gov/education/how-to-apply/

Receiving Payments

When you notify the Veterans Services Office that you are registered for classes, the Veterans Services Coordinator will submit a certification to the VA. The VA can take up to 4-6 weeks to process certifications and send out payments.

The percentage of benefit you are eligible for depends on time spent on active duty. Note: Multiple deployments may increase your eligibility (Current as of Spring 2020). Rate of Pursuit (ROP) for BAH varies online vs resident

Fall and Spring Semester
1. Full-time student (12+ units) = $3,366.00 per month (+ kicker if eligible)
2. Three-quarters time (9-11 units) = 75% of ROP
3. More than Half-time (7-8 units) = 50%+ of ROP
4. Half-time or less (6 & below) = $0 per month
5. Full-Time Online = $901 per month $$ drop based on % ROP (BCC DOES NOT offer Distance Learning)

Summer and Intersession Semester
1. Full-time student (4 units) = $3,366.00 per month (+ kicker if eligible)
2. Three-quarters time (3 units) = 75% of ROP
3. More than Half-time (2.5+ units) = 50%+ of ROP
4. Half-time or less (2 & below) = $0 per month

There are three types of payments under Chapter 33 Post 9/11 GI Bill.

1. Tuition payment – paid to school
2. Housing Allowance – paid to recipient
3. Book stipend – paid to recipient

Each payment is paid out depending on the percentage of eligibility from the information above.

Educational assistance paid to dependents (spouse/children) of veterans who are permanently and 100% disabled due to a service connected condition or who died in the service of a service-connected disability. Please go to the following website for further details: www.benefits.va.gov/gibill/survivor_dependent_assistance.asp or https://www.benefits.va.gov/GIBILL/DEA.asp Apply on-line at https://www.va.gov/education/how-to-apply/

Chapter 35 dependent benefits must do monthly enrollment verification with the VA. The VA Administration will send out a monthly enrollment verification letter to the Chapter 35 beneficiary which must be filled out by the student and returned to the VA.

This program provides educational assistance for active members of the selected reserves, including members of the Army Reserve, Naval Reserve, Air Force Reserve, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, Coast Guard, Army National Guard, and Air National Guard. Basic eligibility requires a six-year obligation to serve in the selected reserves, and satisfactory participation in required selective reserve training. Participants must be signed up for a six year commitment. To apply, follow the instructions provided at: https://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill/mgib_sr.asp

Verifying Enrollment Each Month: (For Chapters: 30, 1606) After the student has been approved by the VA and certified by BCC’s School Certifying Official (SCO) for the semester he/she must verify continued enrollment with the federal VA office in Muskogee, Oklahoma. This must be done at the beginning of each following month before payments will be issued.

For example: classes start in August you verify September 1, and so on, by either calling 1-877-823-2378 or by going to the VA web site at www.gibill.va.gov

The “Cal-Vet fee waiver” offers a College Fee Waiver Program for eligible dependants whose veteran parent has at least 0% or greater service-connected disability. Contact the SF County Veteran Services Office (415-934-4200) or your local County Veteran Service Office (CVSO) (Find your local CVSO at: http://www.cacvso.org/county-contacts/). You can also contact your local Cal-Vet office at 415-554-7100 for information about the Cal Vet Fee Waiver.

December 17, 2021

What is VRRAP?

The Veteran Rapid Retraining Assistance Program (VRRAP), was enacted on March 11, 2021, and was effective, immediately. VRRAP was part of the American Rescue Plan, a $1.9 trillion economic stimulus package, with aid targeted to assist individuals and businesses recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Eligible Veterans participating in VRRAP receive up to 12 months of tuition and fees and a monthly housing allowance based on Post-9/11 GI Bill rates. Covered education programs must provide training for high-demand occupations, which is determined by the Commissioner of Labor Statistics. GI Bill approved programs of education, excluding bachelor’s and graduate degrees, and VET TEC approved training are eligible.

See for more information on VRRAP.

VRRAP Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

See a list of frequently asked questions about VRRAP.

VRRAP Participation Agreement

Educational institutions must complete and submit a voluntary Participation Agreement to VA for review and approval.

How does it work?

VA will enter into participation agreements with organizations (referred to as “Educational Institutions”) that provide training and job placement outcomes. VA will incentivize these partners with a “pay-for-performance” model that pays these institutions incrementally based on the progress and success of their students.

For a program of education to qualify for VRRAP, it must meet the following criteria:

• Be approved for GI Bill or VET TEC
• Not lead to a bachelors or graduate degree
• Provide training for a high-demand occupation

The payment model for VRRAP tuition and fees (paid directly to the participant’s educational institutions) is milestone based:

• 50% when the Veteran begins the program
• 25% when the Veteran completes the program
• 25% when the Veteran finds employment in the field of study

VRRAP EI Training

Registration Process and Enrollment Certifications (June 2021) training for Educational Institution.

Employment Certification Form

• VA Form 22-10201 (June 2021) – Form to be used when VRRAP participants have found employment.
• Approved VRRAP Educational Institutions

Approved program at Berkeley City College

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