| VETERANS COLLEGE FEE WAIVER PROGRAM SUMMARY |
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BASIC BENEFIT Provides for a waiver of mandatory system wide tuition, registration and incidental fees at any State-owned college, university or other school including the University of California, California State University, California Community College and California Maritime Academy. It is the responsibility of the student to provide evidence of eligibility for benefits each academic year. Fees which are eligible for exemption at the UCSB campus include the University Registration fee and Educational fee. This benefit does not cover the campus based fees nor does it cover the cost of housing, books or health insurance. A break-down of these fees may be viewed at: http://www.registrar.sa.ucsb.edu/feechart.htm APPROVAL AUTHORITY Current benefits are provided under the authority of both the Military and Veterans Code, Article 2, Sections 890 through 899 and 980, and the Education Code, Section 32320. The decision as to whether a student qualifies for a fee waiver is determined by the California Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Services Division or delegated appointee. The County Veterans Service Officer (CVSO) is responsible for notifying students of their eligibility to receive benefits under the waiver program. Copies of award letters should be obtained through the CVSO for the county in which an application for benefits has been submitted. APPROVAL PERIOD Approval for benefits under this program is granted on an academic year to year basis for the entire academic year (including summer sessions). For example, approval for the 2007-2008 school years covers from Fall quarter 2007 through and including Summer Sessions 2008. Benefits are not granted for partial years. Applicants must re-establish eligibility for each subsequent academic year in order to maintain entitlement. Approvals are granted only for the current academic year, or the immediate upcoming academic year, and not for previous years. Note: those under Plan B will not be granted approval for benefits until annual income information is verified for the calendar year immediately prior to the academic year for which benefits are requested. FRESHMEN SUMMER START PROGRAM – Freshmen enrolled in the ‘Summer Start’ program may use the college fee waiver to apply towards some of the cost of the program. For a full break-down of how the fee waiver applies to this program, contact the summer start office. Unlike summer session which is considered the end of the academic year, the summer start program is considered the beginning and a student wishing to use the fee waiver for the program during summer 2008 would need the fee waiver for the academic year 2008-2009. Students wishing to have the fee waiver applied to the summer start program must contact the VA programs representative in the Registrars office and specifically request that the fee waiver be applied to this program. APPLICATION Applicants should apply for benefits prior to attending school. Formal applications for benefits under the waiver program are available from your County Veterans Service Officer (CVSO), or you may download a PDF file of the most recent Department of Veterans Services Application Form (DVS 40) at www.cacvso.org You can also find your local County Veterans Services Office by clicking on “CVSO’s” on the front page of this web site. Remember to turn in a copy of your birth certificate along with the appropriate tax information when you submit the application to the appropriate CVSO. We recommend that you submit your application to our local Veterans Services Office below: SB County Veterans Service Office WHO MAY QUALIFY? Plan A A child of a wartime veteran who is totally disabled due to service-connected disabilities, or whose death was officially rated as service-connected. The child must be over 14 year’s old and under 27 years of age. If the child is a veteran, the age limit is extended to age 30; or the spouse of a wartime veteran who has been rated as service-connected totally disabled (note: there is no age restriction in this case); or the unmarried surviving spouse of a wartime veteran, whose death has been rated as service-connected (note: there is no age restriction in this case); or any dependent of any veteran who has been declared missing in action, captured in the line of duty by hostile forces, or forcibly detained or interned in the line of duty by a foreign government or power. This benefit cannot be used in conjunction with Chapter 35 Dependents Educational Assistance Benefits. Plan B A child of a veteran who has a service-connected disability, or had a service-connected disability at the time of death, or died of service-related causes. The Child’s income which includes the child’s adjusted gross income, plus the value of support provided by a parent, must not exceed the national poverty level . Plan C Any dependent, or surviving spouse who has not remarried, of any member of the California National Guard, who in the line of duty and while in the active service of the State, was killed, died of a disability resulting from an event that occurred while in active service to the State, or is permanently disabled as a result of an event that occurred while in the active service to the State. Notice: This information is intended to assist students in understanding the California Department of Veterans Affairs Dependents Fee Waiver Program, and is not a complete explanation of the policy set forth by the California Department of Veterans Affairs. Specific questions regarding eligibility for benefits should be directed to the County Veterans Service Office. You may contact the California Department of Veterans Affairs (CDVA) at 1-800-952-5626, or visit the CDVA web site at www.cdva.ca.gov . An “academic year” shall encompass 365 days, commencing on the first day and ending on the last day of the academic year in accordance with the individual campus. “Annual income” for the purposes of Plan B shall be the amount of income reported to the IRS/FTB as “Adjusted Gross Income” (AGI) For the purposes of Plan B, the National Poverty Level is defined as the poverty threshold for a single person, under age 65, according to |
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