EICC Policies and Practices

Eastern Iowa Community Colleges currently have many policies, procedures and practices that assist our military and veteran students. The Colleges have had a long tradition of providing quality services including certification of Veteran benefits, awarding of credit for military training, military deployment withdrawal policy and in-state tuition policy for military, veterans and their dependents.

Currently,

• EICC is VA Approved.
• Each campus has staff members who handle VA certification and Tuition Assistance.
• EICC has relationships with the Rock Island Arsenal, local National Guard Units and local Reserve
  Units.
• EICC provides in-state tuition (Board Policy 507) to military personnel, veterans, spouse and/or their dependents.
• EICC provides advising, financial aid, and job/career placement services to Military and Veteran students.
• EICC offers scholarship opportunities for military and veteran students.
• EICC allows military personnel called to Active Duty to withdraw without penalty (see Student Handbook).
• EICC campuses provide military and veteran related activities and events.
• EICC may allow military students to re-enter programs with limited enrollment without penalty.
• EICC has a Student Veterans’ Organization Facebook page .
• EICC academic programs are well positioned to provide civilian credentials that complement military
  training.
• EICC’s flexible learning options, including online, evening and fast track career programs, are well positioned to serve the needs of military and veteran students.
• EICC’s Veteran Affairs Certifying Officials attend VA and military education benefit training to keep
  updated with changing regulations.
• EICC offers military and veteran student’s priority enrollment. This will be a two week period prior to open enrollment for new students. It is our practice for this policy to be in place for the purpose of fulfilling the continued support of our military and veteran students.

Department of Defense Memorandum of Understanding

Eastern Iowa Community Colleges have signed the MOU to strictly abide to the policy listed below.
Note: EICC signed the original agreement in July 2012.

NUMBER 1322.25 reaffirmed September 2014

Establishes policy stating  the  eligibility criteria  for  tuition  assistance  (TA)  and  the  requirement  for  a memorandum  of  understanding  (MOU)  from  all  educational  institutions  providing  educational  programs through the DoD TA Program.

Establishes policy that:

1. All educational  institutions  providing  education  programs  through  the  DoD  Tuition  Assistance  (TA) Program:
   1. Will provide meaningful information to students about the financial cost and attendance at an institution so military students can make informed decisions on where to attend school.
       
   2. Will not use unfair, deceptive, and abusive recruiting practices.
       
   3. Will provide academic and student support services to Service members and their families.
2. Creates rules to strengthen existing procedures for access to DoD installations by educational institutions.
   DoDI 1322.25, March 15, 2011

3. Requires an annual review and notification process if there are changes made to the uniform semester -hour (or equivalent), TA caps and annual TA ceilings.

4. Requires the Military Departments to provide their Service members with a Joint Services Transcript (JST).
    
5. Establishes the DoD Postsecondary Education Complaint System for Service members, spouses, and adult family members to register student complaints.
    
6. Authorizes the Military Departments to establish Service-specific TA eligibility criteria and management controls.

Establishes the Interservice Voluntary Education Board.

Clifford L. Stanley
Under Secretary of Defense for
Personnel and Readiness

Special Student Admission Policy/Attendance Policy

Veterans and Military Personnel

All of our programs are approved by the Iowa Department of Education for veteran benefits for students
eligible under the GI and Post 9/11 Bills. If you are a veteran of the Armed Forces, National Guard or Reserve, contact the Certifying Official early in the application process to certify your status and benefits. If you have earned credit through civilian or military education, the College Registrar may evaluate that credit for transfer evaluation.

To receive educational assistance from the Veterans Administration, you must meet “pursuit of education and academic standards” established by the VA and College policy. You are responsible for knowing and following policies that apply to you as a veteran. For information about these policies, including pursuit of education, satisfactory progress, verification, benefit and other questions about veteran students, see the Certifying Official.

If you are the widow, widower or child of a veteran, you may also be eligible for educational benefits.

Residency Status for Military Personnel and Veterans

Active duty military personnel and military service veterans attending an EICC College, as well as their spouses and dependent children, are considered to be Iowa residents for admission, tuition and fee purposes.

Procedures for Military Members Called to Active Service

EICC appreciates the contributions of our students who have served or are currently serving in the military.

Students who are called to active military duty should immediately contact the Veteran’s Affairs Office on their campus or designate a family member to do so. They may exercise one of the following options:

1. Withdraw from the student’s entire registration and receive a full refund of tuition and mandatory fees.
    
2. Make arrangements with the student’s instructors for course grades, or for incompletes that shall be completed by the student at a later date. If such arrangements are made, the student’s registration shall remain intact and tuition and mandatory fees shall be assessed for the courses in full.
    
3. Make arrangements with only some of the student’s instructors for grades, or for incompletes that shall be completed by the student at a later date. If such arrangements are made, the registration for those courses shall remain intact and tuition and mandatory fees shall be assessed for those courses. Any course for which arrangements cannot be made for grades or incompletes shall be considered dropped and the tuition and mandatory fees for the course refunded.

Students who must report for drill during the semester that will interfere with classes must:

Contact the instructor as soon as the student is aware of the duty dates.

1. Produce written proof (orders, letter from CDMR or ISG, etc) to the instructors and the Veteran’s Affairs office.
2. Create a course of action prior to speaking with instructors.
3. Schedule a meeting time with instructors to present written documentation and action plan.