Veterans and Active Duty Military
Veteran Student Affairs Office (VSAO)
Serving our Nation’s Veterans as well as Active Duty Military Service Members
196 Main Building; Veterans@cincinnatistate.edu; 513-569-1543
Walk-in are welcome Monday through Thursday from 9:30 am to 2 pm while classes are in session; all other meetings are by appointment only.
Appointments are available on Starfish. You may also contact us via email at veterans@cincinnatistate.edu to schedule an appointment.
The VSAO functions as a referral source for Veteran and Active Duty Military resources available at Cincinnati State, such as Academic Program Advising, Tutoring, the Workforce Development Center, and the College’s Career Center and Disability Services. All questions related to student services can be directed to the Manager of the VSAO at veterans@cincinnatistate.edu
The Office of Veteran Student Affairs also provides:
- Benefit counseling
- Claims filing to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA)
- Admission advising
- Referrals to other College services
- Referrals to community agencies
- Monitoring of student degree plans and graduation progress
Click here for a budget including Tuition, Fees, Books and Supplies.
ATTENTION; Updated 12.12.2022: The VA is updating the system it uses to certify VA benefits on Jan 14, 2022. This system will be unavailable for at least 2 weeks. Because of this, you are urged to contact us for instructions on how to certify your benefits before this system update. You should be enrolled and fill out the VA enrollment form before Jan 9th so that your certification can be submitted before Jan 13th. Failure to do this could delay payment of your VA benefits.
See additional steps below on how to proceed.
Step One
The VA requires you to be enrolled in a VA approved program.
Please make sure that the program you have selected is VA approved by visiting: https://inquiry.vba.va.gov/weamspub
- Select OHIO
- find Cincinnati State Technical and Community College on the list
- and select “Programs” (grey tab on the right) to view the listing of VA approved programs.
Step Two
If you have not already applied for VA educational benefits, you will need to go to: https://www.va.gov/education/how-to-apply/ to apply
- Once approved, you will get something called a Certificate of Eligibility, “or COE”
- When you receive it, take a picture of the first page of the COE.
- If you already have benefits, please go to your e-benefits account with the VA and find something called a “Statement of Benefits”.
- When you find it, take a screenshot of it.
You will upload this screenshot/photo in the next step.
Step Three
After you have met with your academic advisor and sign up for classes, you need to fill out this e-form: VA Enrollment Form: https://web3.cincinnatistate.edu/eforms/eform.aspx?form_id=1748
- Upload you’re the first page of your COE or Statement of Benefits in the e-form
- You will submit the VA enrollment form any semester that you wish to use your VA benefits
Step Four
Moving forward, every semester, you fill submit the VA enrollment form, which give us your permission to certify your benefits with the VA.
PLEASE NOTE: The College will put a hold on your account once your benefits have been certified with the VA. The hold is meant to stop you from dropped or withdrawing from courses until you talk to our office so that we can help you. Dropping or withdrawing after the 100% refund period can negatively affect your benefits and we want to help you to understand what that means for your account.
Additional Information on VA Education Programs
All of this information and more can be found at www.VA.gov/education
Additional information on Chapter 30 Montgomery GI Bill
Additional information on Chapter 31 Vocational Rehabilitation
Additional information on Chapter 33 Post-9/11
Additional information on Chapter 35 Survivors and Dependents
PLEASE NOTE: If you make ANY changes to your schedule, (ADD or DROP or CHANGE a course), you must notify the office immediately so we can alert the VA. Not notifying the VSAO could affect your balance or VA benefits.
Military Student Affairs
196 MAIN BUILDING EMAIL: VETERANS@CINCINNATISTATE.EDU
At this time, support for students that are Active Duty Military should direct all questions about their Financial Aid options to the Manager of Veteran Student Affairs Office (VSAO). The Manager will work with Financial Aid and the Bursar to answer your questions: veterans@cincinnatistate.edu
PLEASE NOTE: All Active Duty Military are required to receive approval from the student’s ESO, Military Counselor, or Military Service prior to enrollment.
Contacts and Support for Active Duty Military:
The Manager of Veteran Student Affairs is the point of contact for Active Duty Military at Cincinnati State. They can provide service members with access to the Office of Disability Services, Counseling, the Career Center and many other services that are available at Cincinnati State for Active Duty Service Members. They can be reached at veterans@cincinnatistate.edu or 513-569-1543 (please leave a message if we are unable to answer the phone).
- Financial Aid office: In combination with Federal Tuition Assistance, Active Duty Military may also use Federal Financial Aid, FAFSA, to pay for college. Visit our Financial Aid website to learn more about FAFSA.
- The Financial Aid office can guide you through the process of applying for FAFSA and other aid
- Contact the Financial Aid office at: fam@cincinnatistate.edu
- Bursar’s office: The Bursar processes the Federal Tuition Assistance (FTA) on behalf of the Active Duty Military student:
- Contact the Bursar’s office at: bursar@cincinnatistate.edu
- Learn more about how to apply for Federal Tuition Assistance
- Registrar’s office: Students interested in having their military training and coursework evaluated should send their official transcripts to the Registrar. All transcripts are reviewed by the appropriate Program Chair and the Dean of the Academic Division. Credit is awarded whenever possible. The number of transfer credits that can be applied toward the Service Member’s educational program is at the discretion of the Program Director.
- Contact the Registrar’s office at: registraroffice@cincinnatistate.edu
Additional Financial Support for Active Duty Military
Additional Tuition Assistance (TA)
Additional Tuition Assistance(TA) funds are a source of financial aid for active duty military. Each Branch of Service has it’s own policies and procedures for applying for a TA. For more information and to apply for a TA, please visit the the Department of Defense (DoD) website.
Once you apply for the TA on the DoD website, please contact the Manager of Veterans Affairs. The VA office and the Bursar will work with you to outline additional steps that are needed from you to use the TA funds at Cincinnati State: veterans@cincinnatistate.edu
Return of Tuition Assistance
Return of Tuition Assistance: Military Tuition Assistance (TA) is awarded to a student under the assumption that the student will attend school for the entire period for which the assistance is awarded. When a student withdraws, the student may no longer be eligible for the full amount of TA funds originally awarded.
To comply with the new Department of Defense policy, Cincinnati State Technical & Community College will return any unearned TA funds on a prorate basis through at least the 60% portion of the period for which the funds were provided. TA funds are earned proportionally during an enrollment period, with unearned funds returned based upon when a student stops attending. These funds are returned to the military Service branch.
Instances when a Service member stops attending due to a military service obligation, Cincinnati State will work with the affected Service member to identify solutions that will not result in student debt for the returned portion.
Cincinnati State Technical & community College has a fee schedule for returning unearned TA to the government.
TA Funds Return Schedule
Before or during weeks 1-2 100% return
- 14-week Course Withdraw submitted, the 60% of course is completed at 8.4 weeks
- 12-week Course Withdraw submitted, the 60% of course completed at 7.2 weeks
- 10-week Course Withdraw submitted, the 60% of course completed at 6 weeks
- 9-week Course Withdraw submitted, the 60% of course completed at 5.4 weeks
- 5-week Course Withdraw submitted, the 60% of course completed at 3 weeks
- 4-week Course Withdraw submitted, the 60% of course completed at 2.4 weeks
1 – 377 Hours 75% return
378 – 755 Hours 50% return
756 – 906 Hours 25% return (60% of course is completed)
907 – 1510 Hours 0% return
1 – 305 Hours 75% return
306 – 610 Hours 50% return
1 – 270 Hours 75% return
271 – 540 Hours 50% return
541 – 648 Hours 25% return (60% of course is completed)
649 – 1080 Hours 0% return
- 100% of Tuition Assistance (TA) received will be returned if the student withdraws within the first week of class, but before submission of the first assignment. The student’s request will be processed as a drop for the purpose of returning TA funds only, not for Financial Aid attendance or recalculating of aid.
- 75% of TA received of TA received will be returned if the student withdraws after submitting the first assignment and through the end of the second week of classes.
- 50% of TA received will be returned if the student withdraws after the second week of classes, but before the end of the fourth week of classes.
- 25% of TA received will be returned if the student withdraws after the fourth week of classes, but before the end of the sixth week of classes. (60% of course is completed)
- No TA received will be returned if the student withdraws after the sixth week of classes.
Ohio has its own scholarship program for active and prior National Guard service members. For more information on this scholarship, please visit this ONG website
*GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government web site at http://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill.
Cincinnati State and its employees prohibit acceptance of any form of commission, bonus, high-pressure recruitment tactics or other incentive payment based directly or indirectly on securing Service member enrollments.