VMASS DOD Benefits

All students seeking to use one of the educational benefits provided by the U.S Department of Veteran Affairs, must submit an application at Vets.gov and call the VA at or 1-888-442-4551.

• Chapter 33 (Post 9/11 GI Bill)‌ - All veterans who served on active duty after 9/11/2001 may qualify for this benefit.
• Chapter 30 (Active Duty)‌ - Veterans who entered the armed services after July 1, 1985 and elected to contribute $100 per month for the first 12 months of their enlistment.
• Chapter 1606 (ARNG & Reserve)‌ Students currently serving a minimum 6-year enlistment with the Reserve or Army National Guard.
• Chapter 1607 (REAP)‌ Activated ARNG/Reserves - Students whose Reserve or ARNG unit was activated to serve in Global War on Terrorism.
• Chapter 35 (Dependents)‌ - Dependents (including spouses) whose parent (wife/husband) served on active duty and were 100% permanently disabled as a result of active duty or was missing or killed in action.
• Chapter 31 (Service-Connected Disability)‌ - Veterans who received a service-connected disability while on active duty.
• Hazlewood‌ - Is a State of Texas benefit that provides qualified Veterans, spouses, and dependent children with an education benefit of up to 150 hours of tuition exemption, including most fee charges, at public institutions of higher education in Texas. This does NOT include living expenses, books, or supply fees.
• Guests/Concurrent Student- You are considered a guest student if you are currently (or will soon be) enrolled at another college and are taking courses at HCC. Guest students take HCC courses to fulfill their parent institution's degree requirements.

 

Submit military records request to get your DD214 or other military service records through the milConnect website. 

Follow these steps to request your military records.

 

Military Spouse Scholarship Program- The Military Spouse Career Advancement Account (MyCAA) Scholarship is a workforce development program that provides up to $4,000 of tuition assistance to eligible military spouses.

Please Note: The student’s spouse must be on active duty in pay grades E-1 to E-5, W-1 to W-2, and O-1 to O-2 who can start and complete their coursework while their military sponsor is on Title 10 military orders, including spouses married to members of the National Guard and Reserve Components in these same pay grades.

• Create MyCAA account (https://mycaa.militaryonesource.mil/mycaa/get-started) and provide the required Spouse Profile information 

 

• Contact a certified SECO Career Counselor at 1-800-342-9647 to create your career plan.  
• Meet with a HCC Academic Advisor.
• Official transcripts from all previous college(s) attended (regardless of accreditation)

 

Houston Community College
Office of Admission & Records
P.O. Box 667517
Houston, TX 77266

 

• Enroll in HCC Courses (listed on your approved degree plan) 
• Submit VMASS Certification Request
• Submit your DOD (scholarship) approval to the VMASS Department

Pay for courses, select ‘other’ as the method of payment to avoid courses being dropped 

 

The Tuition Assistance (TA) program provides financial assistance for voluntary off-duty education programs in support of a Soldier's professional and personal self-development goals.

Each branch of the military has its own TA application and procedures. Find out how to get started by visiting the following links:

• Complete the Army Ignited Steps to request TA
  
  

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About Army Ignited Steps

All soldiers must create a new ArmyIgnitED login ID in order to request TA.

1. Create Your ArmyIgnitED Account

• Soldiers should add their AMU Student ID to ArmyIgnitED profile so that information can be easily discovered.
• A Common Access Card (CAC) is required to log into the ArmyIgnitED Portal.
  • Please use Chrome, Edge, or Firefox. Of note, you may experience issues accessing the portal from a government computer.

• An Evaluated Degree Plan (EDP) is required to be uploaded to ArmyIgnitED. You may access your EDP from your university Academic Plan, please find the Download Degree Plan link and save this document to upload to ArmyIgnitED. Once your Army Education Counselor has approved your Education Path, you will be able to request Tuition Assistance (TA) for courses outlined on your EDP.
  • Please Note: Your Transfer Credit Evaluation (TCE) should be completed prior to uploading your EDP.
    
    

2. Requesting Tuition Assistance through ArmyIgnitED

• All requests for Tuition Assistance must be made in ArmyIgnitED no earlier than 60 days and no later than 7 days before the course start date.
• Approvals for TA may be processed within 7 days of the course start, but your request to use TA for the course must be in place in ArmyIgnitED 7 days prior to the course start.
  • Please be sure to enroll at the university in the course you wish to request TA prior to 7 days before the course starts. Army students will be prevented from selecting TA as a payment option if attempting to register less than 7 days prior to a course start date.
    
    

3. TA Payment Limits and Process

• Army Tuition Assistance is capped at 16 credit hours or $4,000 per Fiscal Year (1 October – 30 September).
• Approved Military Tuition Assistance does not constitute a payment being received; TA approvals are only a promise for the Army to pay. The Army will not pay fiscal funds to a university until after they have been invoiced. Upon receipt of an invoice, the service branch can take 30 – 90 days to perform payment of fiscal funds to a university.
• All changes to course enrollments (Drops or Withdrawals) must occur within your university
  
  

4. TA Processing After Approval

• Once your TA has been approved by your Army Education Counselor, the TA request (TAR) will be electronically submitted to your university.
• Your TA request will be automatically processed If you have completed the TAR electronically, you will not need to submit a TA document to your university
  
  

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Regardless of your military branch, we require you to submit the following documents to our department;

• Submit Copy of DD-214 (Only Member 2, 3, 4, 6, or 8) OR Notice of Basic Eligibility (NOBE), a current copy of your orders, OR a letter from your commanding officer.
• Visit jst.doded.mil to access military transcripts.
• All veterans, active duty, active National Guard, and Reserves, must submit military transcripts within 30 days from submitting the HCC Application.

All transcripts should be submitted to:

Houston Community College
Office of Admission & Records
P.O. Box 667517
Houston, TX 77266

 

•  Provide a Tuition Assistance Authorization Form to the HCC VMASS Department
• Submit VMASS Certification Request
• Pay for courses, select ‘other’ as the method of payment to avoid courses being dropped 

 

The Tuition Assistance (TA) program provides financial assistance for voluntary off-duty education programs in support of a Soldier's professional and personal self-development goals.

Find out how to get started on applying for Air Force Tuition Assistance by visiting:

• Air Force TA

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Regardless of your military branch, we require you to submit the following documents to our department;

• Submit Copy of DD-214 (Only Member 2, 3, 4, 6, or 8) OR Notice of Basic Eligibility (NOBE), a current copy of your orders, OR a letter from your commanding officer.
• Visit jst.doded.mil to access military transcripts.
• For Air Force transcripts, please visit airuniversity.af.edu/Barnes/CCAF/
• All veterans, active duty, active National Guard, and Reserves, must submit military transcripts within 30 days from submitting the HCC Application.

All transcripts should be submitted to:

Houston Community College
Office of Admission & Records
P.O. Box 667517
Houston, TX 77266

 

• Provide a Tuition Assistance Authorization Form to the HCC VMASS Department
• Submit VMASS Certification Request
• Pay for courses, select ‘other’ as the method of payment to avoid courses being dropped 

 

The Tuition Assistance (TA) program provides financial assistance for voluntary off-duty education programs in support of a Soldier's professional and personal self-development goals.

Find out how to get started on applying for Marine Corps Tuition Assistance by visiting:

• Marine Corps TA

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Regardless of your military branch, we require you to submit the following documents to our department;

• Submit Copy of DD-214 (Only Member 2, 3, 4, 6, or 8) OR Notice of Basic Eligibility (NOBE), a current copy of your orders, OR a letter from your commanding officer.
• Visit jst.doded.mil to access military transcripts.
• All veterans, active duty, active National Guard, and Reserves, must submit military transcripts within 30 days from submitting the HCC Application.

All transcripts should be submitted to:

Houston Community College
Office of Admission & Records
P.O. Box 667517
Houston, TX 77266

 

• Provide a Tuition Assistance Authorization Form to the HCC VMASS Department
• Submit VMASS Certification Request
• Pay for courses, select ‘other’ as the method of payment to avoid courses being dropped 

 

The Tuition Assistance (TA) program provides financial assistance for voluntary off-duty education programs in support of a Soldier's professional and personal self-development goals.

Find out how to get started on applying for Navy Tuition Assistance by visiting:

• Navy

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Regardless of your military branch, we require you to submit the following documents to our department;

• Submit Copy of DD-214 (Only Member 2, 3, 4, 6, or 8) OR Notice of Basic Eligibility (NOBE), a current copy of your orders, OR a letter from your commanding officer.
• Visit jst.doded.mil to access military transcripts.
• All veterans, active duty, active National Guard, and Reserves, must submit military transcripts within 30 days from submitting the HCC Application.

All transcripts should be submitted to:

Houston Community College
Office of Admission & Records
P.O. Box 667517
Houston, TX 77266

 

• Provide a Tuition Assistance Authorization Form to the HCC VMASS Department
• Submit VMASS Certification Request
• Pay for courses, select ‘other’ as the method of payment to avoid courses being dropped 

 

Houston Community College returns any unearned Military Tuition Assistance (TA) funds to the Department of Defense (DoD) should a service member withdraw from a course that was paid for using TA. 

If a service member withdraws from any course on or before the 60% completion date (during week 5 for an 8-week course and during week 9 or 10 for a 16-week course), a prorated refund will be issued back to the DoD for the TA funds that were provided.

For example, if a service member withdraws from a course at the 60% mark (during week 5 for an 8-week course and during week 9 or 10 for a 16-week course), 40% of TA funds used for the course will be returned to the DoD.

In instances when a service member stops attending due to a documented military service obligation, HCC will work with the affected service member to identify solutions that may not result in a student debt to the College for the portion of TA funds returned to the DoD. 

 

 

Per DoDI 1322.25, Voluntary Education Programs, paragraph 1.c.(1)(b) 

Houston Community College (HCC) is committed to ethical and transparent recruitment practices. In alignment with the Department of Defense (DoD) Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and our institutional values, HCC strictly prohibits the use of high-pressure recruitment tactics.

Below are the key principles of HCC's recruitment approach:

1. Refrain From High-Pressure Recruitment Tactics: HCC does not engage in high-pressure recruitment practices. This includes refraining from making multiple unsolicited contacts (three or more) through phone, email, or in-person interactions, and avoiding same-day recruitment and registration efforts specifically targeting Service members.
2. Recruitment Practices Regarding Service Members: HCC does not specifically target Service members for recruitment. Information regarding enrollment is provided only upon request, ensuring that Service members receive the information they need without feeling pressured to enroll.
3. Communication Opt-Out Option: All prospective students, including Service members, are provided with the opportunity to opt out of all communications from HCC. This ensures that individuals are contacted only if they have expressed a desire to receive information from the institution. 

By adhering to these principles, HCC ensures that all recruitment activities are conducted in a manner that respects the autonomy and decision-making of prospective students, including those who are serving or have served in the military. 

 

Resources for Service Members and Veterans

In an effort to support participants of DoD's Tuition Assistance (TA) program and recipients of GI® Bill benefits to make informed choices on school and education programs, and learn about and compare benefits at approved schools, the following websites provide helpful information: 

• Tuition Assistance (TA) DECIDE
• GI Bill Comparison Tool