Veterans Services

Veteran's Services

Financial Aid & Veteran Services Office Closure April 8-10, 2024

To ensure our team is equipped to better serve you, the Financial Aid & Veteran Services office will be temporarily closed for in-person visits from Monday, April 8, 2024, through Wednesday, April 10, 2024. During this time, our staff will be participating in essential Professional Development and training sessions.  We remain fully accessible and committed to supporting you remotely. You can reach us via email at financialaid@durhamtech.edu. Additionally, if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact your designated Financial Aid Advisor listed below:

Student's Last Name	Advisor	Email
A-C	Deonte Barfield	barfieldd@durhamtech.edu
D-H	Madison Carter	carterm@durhamtech.edu
I-M	Emma Robinson	robinsone@durhamtech.edu
N-R	Frances Lunsford	lunsfordf@durhamtech.edu
S-Z	Cordelia DeCosta	decostac@durhamtech.edu

 

Veteran Student's Last Name	Advisor	Email
A-L	Deonte Barfield	barfieldd@durhamtech.edu
M-Z	Frances Lunsford	lunsfordf@durhamtech.edu

Durham Tech Veterans Services, located in the Phail Wynn, Jr. Student Services Center (Building 10), room 10-210, assists students who are eligible for Veterans education benefits, including Veterans, active-duty personnel, and members of selected reserves and the National Guard.

To be eligible for education benefits, students must be admitted to a curriculum program and have high school and all college transcripts on file at Durham Tech.

Before paying tuition and fees each semester, students must first have their class schedules approved by their academic advisors and then by staff in the Veterans Services office. Students are required to notify the VA School Certifying Official (SCO) via email when registration is complete.

Students who are visiting from their home college and who may be eligible for Veterans education benefits must contact Durham Tech Veterans Services to provide appropriate documentation.

The Veterans Handbook, available in the Veterans Services office, provides detailed information on college procedures and education benefits.

Steps to a Successful Veterans Experience

1. Complete the Enrollment Steps to be admitted into an approved curriculum program OR a VA approved program.

   Prior credits must be used, if applicable, to your program major at Durham Tech. Request official transcripts from ALL previously attended colleges (no waivers)
    

2. Complete the Department of Veterans Affairs Application (Certificate of Eligibility)
    
3. Complete Durham Tech forms:
   • VA Certification Request form
   • Veterans Educational Benefits Enrollment form
      
4. Submit your military documents:
   • Request military transcript(s) from Joint Services Transcript
   • Provide a copy of your DD-214 to the VA School Certifying Official (SCO, see list below)
   • Learn how to submit the above documents using Electronic Document Submission. Simply create a password (if you don't already have one), choose Financial Aid & Veterans Services, and select the document you are submitting in the Document Type dropdown menu. You can submit the document as a pdf or as a photo.
      
5. Meet with your Academic Advisor/Veterans Services Coordinator Demitrius Bullock at bullockd2@durhamtech or 919-536-7200, ext. 1125
    
6. Other Responsibilities:
   • Before paying tuition and fees, notify your SCO via email when your registration is complete for approval
   • Notify your assigned SCO immediately of any changes in program, class schedule, or attendance
   • Maintain at least a 2.0 GPA

Veterans quick links

• GI Bill^® Information
• Education Benefits Forms
• Education Benefits Pay Rates

Financial Aid Advisors/VA School Certifying Official (SCO)

Student Last Name	Advisor	Email/Phone
	Nadine Ford, Director	919-536-7209, ext.1510
A – L	Deonte Barfield, VA School Certifying Official (SCO)	919-536-7209, ext.1516
M – Z	Frances Lunsford, VA School Certifying Official (SCO)	919- 536-7209, ext. 1509

Veterans Work-Study Opportunities

Students using Veterans education benefits and attending college at a 3/4-time rate or more may apply for part-time employment under VA work-study. Work-study pays minimum federal wage and is limited to positions available.

Contact Durham Tech Veterans Services at 919-536-7209 or vaservices@durhamtech.edu.

Academic, Conduct, and Attendance Requirements for Students Receiving Veterans Education Benefits

Public Law 95-908 (the GI Bill^®) requires that each educational institution approved for Veterans to receive education benefits must establish written policies that clearly state what is expected of the Veteran in the areas of academic progress, class attendance, and conduct.

Veterans whose benefits are terminated for unsatisfactory progress, lack of attendance, or misconduct must receive counseling before they can be re-certified for education benefits. The required counseling sessions may delay reinstatement of benefits from two to four months.

Standards of Academic Progress for Veterans

Students receiving Veterans education benefits are expected to maintain satisfactory academic progress towards their degrees, which is defined as a minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA. Progress evaluations are made at the end of each term.

The following standards of academic progress are reviewed each semester for all students receiving Veterans education benefits:

1. Satisfactory – The student is currently maintaining a minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA and is eligible for certification of benefits.
    
2. Probation – Cumulative GPA is below 2.0. Students must report immediately to the Veterans Services office for counseling referral to be eligible for further certification of benefits.
    
3. Suspension (termination to VA benefits) – Cumulative GPA is below 2.0 for two consecutive semesters. Veterans are not eligible for certification of benefits for the next enrolled semester or until cumulative GPA is above 2.0; however, students may continue in college at their own expenses. Suspension status will be reported to the Department of Veterans Affairs.
    
4. Reinstatement – After one semester without certification of benefits, students may request reinstatement of benefits for the next term of enrollment. Students must have a minimum cumulative 2.0 GPA for reinstatement.

Attendance Requirements for Veterans

All students are expected to pursue good faith attendance by limiting absences to 15 percent or less of the total contact hours required in the course for the semester. If a student receiving Veterans education benefits must drop a course, the student must notify Durham Tech Veterans Services immediately. College officials are required to report the student’s last day of attendance; this information is forwarded to the regional Veterans Administration office. Certification ceases to be in effect as of the last day of attendance for dropped courses.

The Veterans Benefits and Transition Act of 2018  

Note: A Covered Individual is any individual who is entitled to education assistance under Chapter 31 (Vocation Rehabilitation and Employment) or Chapter 33 (Post-9/11 GI Bill) benefits.

Consistent with the Veterans Benefits and Transition Act of 2018, Section 3679 of Title 38, United States Code, Section 103, Durham Technical Community College shall not impose any penalty, including the assessment of late fees or the denial of access to classes, libraries, or other institutional facilities, or require the a Covered Individual to borrow additional funds in order to meet financial obligations to the institution due to the delayed disbursement funding from VA under Chapter 31 or 33.

A Covered Individual shall be permitted to attend or participate in the approved course of education during the period beginning on the date on which the individual provides to the College a Certificate of Eligibility for entitlement to educational assistance under Chapter 31 or 33 (a “Certificate of Eligibility” can also include a “Statement of Benefits” obtained from the Department of Veterans Affairs’ website – eBenefits, or a VAF 28-1905 form for Chapter 31) and ending on the earlier of the following dates:

• The date on which payment from VA is made to the institution.
• 90 days after the date the institution certified tuition and fees following the receipt of the Certificate of Eligibility.

Procedures for Determining Conduct for Veterans

Conduct requirements are the same for Veteran and non-Veteran students.

Course Substitutions for Veterans

Students receiving Veterans education benefits are ordinarily limited to two course substitutions in their programs of study, not including substitutions resulting from changes in course numbers.

GI Bill^® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).  More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government website at http://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill.