Veterans Affairs Office
All degree, diploma and certificate programs at Western Piedmont Community College are approved by the North Carolina State Approving Agency under Public Law 634 for educating and training veterans, dependents of deceased or disabled veterans, and members of the Selected Service. Continuing Education courses are not approved for VA Education Benefits.
Eligibility for Veterans Education Benefits is determined by the Veterans Administration, not the College. Students should contact WPCC’s VA SCO for additional information on how to apply for benefits, the enrollment certification process, and program eligibility.
VA SCO: Dori Barron dbarron@wpcc.edu 828-448-3170
Students interested in Department of Defense Military Tuition Assistance (TA) MUST contact their unit education advisor or installation commander PRIOR to enrollment to determine TA availability and eligibility. All Active Duty Service Members, including Guard and Reserve, must receive approval from their Education Service Officer or Education Counselor within their branch of service prior to enrollment.
VA Tuition Rates
Pursuant to the Isakson and Roe Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act of 2020, effective August 1, 2021:
Western Piedmont Community College will NOT charge a tuition rate higher than the rate charged for residents of North Carolina to any covered individual receiving VA Education Assistance under Chapters 30, 31, or 33, as long as the covered individual is currently living in North Carolina (regardless of the covered individual’s State of legal residence).
VA Retention Requirement
Students receiving VA Educational Benefits must maintain a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.0. Failure to maintain a 2.0 GPA for two consecutive semesters will result in the termination of VA Education Benefits. Conditions for re-entrance are listed below.
VA Course Repeat Policy
Students may not repeat a course that was successfully completed with grades of A, B, C, or D, and receive VA Education Benefits. However, if a student fails a class, or if a program requires a higher grade than the one achieved in a particular class for successful program completion, that class may be repeated and certified for VA Education Benefits again.
VA Standards of Attendance
Students are expected to be present for all regular class meetings and examinations for which they are registered. A student who fails to participate in an academic related activity for a period of 14 consecutive calendar days may be dropped from the class roll and the instructor will notify the Registrar by submitting a withdrawal form. Additional or alternate attendance requirements may be established for individual courses. Students may be readmitted only with the permission of the instructor.
- Students legitimately dropped from a course by an instructor cannot be readmitted without that instructor’s permission.
- Students are considered to remain in membership in a course until students officially withdraw or transfer to another course section or are officially withdrawn from the course.
- Students will not be carried in membership after 14 consecutive calendar days of non-participation in the course, or after withdrawal.
- Students who are withdrawn or who withdraw from a course will receive VA benefits only for the hours in membership reported through the last attendance date in class.
- Students who return to class after having been withdrawn may not include those class hours from the time students were withdrawn until students were readmitted.
VA Standards of Conduct
Western Piedmont’s policy on student conduct is the same for all students, veterans included. (See the College’s Student Code of Conduct.) If a veteran is dismissed from the College for misconduct, veteran’s benefits are terminated immediately.
VA Conditions for Reentrance
Western Piedmont operates under an open-door policy. No student is denied readmission after having been dropped for unsatisfactory progress or conduct. However, certain conditions must be met before a student receiving Veterans Educational Benefits will be recertified for those benefits. Those conditions are the following:
- Reevaluation of program objectives to determine if students would be better suited to another program.
- Student will receive counseling at Western Piedmont in an effort to identify and eliminate the cause for unsatisfactory progress or conduct.
- Student will carry a half-time load until reaching a grade point average of 2.0 or higher.
In accordance with federal regulations under 34 C.F.R. 668.18 the College will promptly readmit service members who seek readmission to a program that was interrupted due to a uniformed service obligation.
Return of Department of Defense Military Tuition Assistance
Department of Defense 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 Department of Defense policy, Western Piedmont Community College will return any unearned TA funds on a prorated basis through 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.
Prohibition of High-Pressure Recruitment Tactics
In accordance with Federal regulations, 34 C.F.R 668.71-668.75 and 668.14, and as mandated by the Isakson and Roe Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act of 2020 (P.L. 116-315) Western Piedmont Community College prohibits inducements, including any gratuity, favor, discount, entertainment, hospitality, loan, transportation, lodging, meals or other item having a monetary value of more than a de minimis amount, to any individual or entity, or its agents including third party lead generators or marketing firms other than salaries paid to employees or fees paid to contractors in conformity with all applicable laws for the purpose of securing enrollments of Service members or obtaining access Tuition Assistance funds.
Western Piedmont Community College prohibits the payment of any commission, bonus, or other incentive payment based directly or indirectly on securing enrollments or federal financial aid, including Tuition Assistance, to any persons or entities engaged in any student recruiting, admission activities, or making decisions regarding the award of student financial assistance.
Western Piedmont Community College prohibits high-pressure recruitment tactics such as making multiple unsolicited contacts (3 or more), including contacts by phone, email, or in-person, and engaging in same-day recruitment and registration for the purpose of securing Service member enrollments in non-credit courses/programs.