MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII -- The Education Center and 200 current Marine Corps Base Hawaii service members attending school are still adjusting to the new tuition assistance rules that took effect last year.
Marine Administrative Message 456/13, which was signed Sept. 11, 2013, made several changes to TA regulations. MARADMIN 611/13, signed Nov. 18, 2013, was a further revision to MARADMIN 456/13.
“As of (Oct. 1) 2013, the Marine Corps TA funding budget will be divided into fi scal quarters,” MARADMIN 611/13 reads. “Once quarterly funds are exhausted, TA approvals will be deferred until the following quarter. When TA funds are available, approvals will be contingent upon the Marine meeting all eligibility requirements and will be limited to classes that begin during that quarter.”
Students who have used TA prior to fiscal year 2014, however, are not subject to the new policies that apply to first-time TA users.
One of the new policies restricts service members in specific situations from taking more than one TA-funded class at a time. However, because the MCB Hawaii Education Center’s approximately $500,000 budget is already quite limiting, the center is following more than half of the military education centers nationwide that chose to restrict all students to one TA-funded class each term, whether or not their situation applies in the new policy.
“With current limited funding, in order to ensure the greatest amount of TA for the greatest number of MCB Hawaii Marines, the Education Center is approving one course per term,” said Craig Lockwood, the supervisory education services specialist at the Education Center. “Marines can petition to take more than one course per term; (however) the Education Center will evaluate on a case-by-case basis.”
Vocational and technical certificate programs are one exception to the one-class rule because they are shorter than college degree programs. However, Lockwood said the Education Center staff still recommends service members apply for TA one class at a time in case they cannot complete the class.
For instance, if a student is granted $4,000 in TA funding for an entire program at once, then withdraws from the class or fails, he or she will forfeit that money from their maximum allowance of $4,500. Lockwood pointed out that losing $400 on one incomplete class is better than losing $4,000 for an incomplete program.
Another new TA policy from MARADMIN 456/13 requires all career and technical education certificate programs to be approved by the Department of Veterans Administration, accredited by a department of education-approved entity and include a signed Department of Defense memorandum, in order to be eligible for TA.
With the policy changes, Lockwood said the center’s counselors are dedicating more time to advising Marines about alternative forms of financial aid. He recommended Marines apply through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, at https://fafsa.ed.gov, inquire with their respective school about available scholarships and financial aid, and earn school credit by taking Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support Subject Standardized Tests, College Level Examination Program and MCI tests.
MARADMIN 611/13 also suggests service members ease fi nancial strain by taking advantage of various opportunities, such as participating in the U.S. Military Apprenticeship Program, which gives service members credit for working in their respective military occupation, or taking no-cost Federal Emergency Management Agency classes.
In order to be eligible for TA for the first time in light of the new changes, students must have served in the Corps for at least two years and be promotable. They must also pass the Marine Corps Institute Personal Financial Management course and have a General Technical score of 100 or more. If a service member’s GT score is below 100, they must take a Test of Adult Basic Education and earn a score of 10.2 or more.
To find out about all the policies in MARADMIN 611/13, visit http://www.marines.mil/news/messages/TAbid/13074/article/154558/tuition-assistance-TA-guidelines-update.aspx.
All service members attending school applying for TA are advised to make an appointment with a counselor at the Education Center by calling 257-2158.