Upon intake into the Veterans Student Support Services, staff will develop an individualized education plan (IEP) that will guide services designed to meet the veteran’s specific needs. Because we understand that “real life happens,” IEPs will be reviewed and updated as the needs of each participant change. VSSS staff will monitor academic needs and offer free tutoring for classes in which our par
ticipants are having difficulty. Our tutoring lab is open from 8:00am to 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday, while school is in session. For additional support, we can often reach out to other veterans who are currently taking or have recently taken the same class and/or professor. We offer advice and assistance with course selection and enrollment and with dropping classes, taking into consideration how withdrawal will affect Federal Student Aid (FSA) and VA education benefits. While dropping a class might be best for your GPA, a withdrawal could prevent you from getting future Pell Grants, loans, VA education, or other benefits. Dropping a class could also result in owing a debt to FSA or the VA. In the event that a veteran does end up owing a debt to the VA, we can often assist in having the debt waived. We will inform participants as to how Federal Student Aid and other benefits are awarded and disbursed and how each aid can be affected by other benefits. We assist with completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), the verification process, and the appeal process. We also assist with selection of and applying for the most advantageous VA education benefit, Department of Defense benefit, state tuition waiver, or rehabilitation benefit. We are here to help participants understand their loans, if applicable, and the cost of college. In developing and updating your IEP, we take into consideration any personal or transitional problems you are facing and do our very best to find solutions to those problems. Our community partners can often assist with establishing a service-connected disability, finding emergency housing or counseling services, providing additional funding, and various other services.
