FEDERAL RESOURCES

Resources for Funding Your Journey to Teaching

Happy Holidays from the Troops to Teachers (TTT) program. Holidays can be filled with family customs, joyful gatherings, and gifts. While all those things are wonderful, they most likely cost money. This issue of the TTT Insider focuses on resources that may help you save money while becoming a teacher. Whether you are just starting your degree journey or have completed your degree and are working towards teacher certification, this issue has resources to help fund your goals.

FEDERAL SOURCES

The following are federal resources that are funded by the Department of Defense (DoD), Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), or the Department of Education (DoE).

College Credit by Exam through DANTES For those that are still completing bachelor’s degree requirements, the DoD Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES) offers the Credit-By-Exam

H E R E ' S W H A T ' S U P !

1 - FEDERAL RESOURCES

5 - OTHER RESOURCES

6 - TFA DEADLINES

8 - STATE CONTACTS

program to help service members earn college credit for knowledge gained through previous experience, independent study, and/or training. Funded exams include all available CLEP and DSST tests. Successfully passing a test can replace a college course requirement, avoiding the cost of tuition and reducing the time it takes to complete a degree. CLEP and DSST tests are funded for all active duty, Guard, and Reserve service members in all branches of Service, including the U.S. Coast Guard. For more information visit www.MyVolEd.com/CLEP or email DANTES _ PLA@navy.mil.

DoD Tuition Assistance Tuition Assistance (TA) is a valuable benefit that DoD offers to service members. TA is authorized for up to 100 percent of tuition and fees including lab, technology, and distance learning fees, but not to exceed $250 per semester hour. TA eligibility criteria, prerequisites, funding amounts, guidelines, policies, and procedures can vary by branch of Service. To obtain detailed information, contact an education center counselor, visit https://www.dantes.doded.mil/ContactCounselor/in dex.html

Service Credentialing Programs DoD Credentialing Opportunities On-Line (COOL) is the result of extensive inter-Service collaboration to facilitate credentialing of service members. All Services recognize the important role that occupational credentials can play in professionalizing the Force and in enhancing the service member’s ability to transition to the civilian workforce upon completion of military service. The Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard each have their own Service-specific COOL programs designed to match military occupations to civilian credentials (occupational certifications, licenses, and apprenticeships) and provide resources to help Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen attain these credentials. The Services disseminate this information on their own COOL websites. DoD COOL is the umbrella site providing a single point

of access to the Services’ COOL websites. Some Services offer funding for certain teacher certification exams such as the Praxis. Each site enables the user to sort credentials via funding method, i.e., AF COOL, GI Bill, etc. Eligibility criteria, prerequisites, funding amounts, guidelines, policies, and procedures vary by branch of Service. Although DoD/Service funding is not available for veterans, credentials can be sorted to highlight if the credential can be funded through the VA. Find your Service’s COOL program by visiting https://www.cool.osd.mil/

VA GI Bill VA GI Bill benefits help you pay for college, graduate school, and training programs. For more than 80 years, the GI Bill has helped qualifying veterans get money to cover all or some of the costs for school or training. There are three different GI Bill programs: Post 9/11, Montgomery GI Bill Active Duty (MGIB-AD), and Montgomery GI Bill Selected Reserve (MGIB-SR). The Post 9/11 GI Bill helps eligible veterans pay for school or job training if they served on active duty after September 10, 2001. The MGIB-AD helps veterans who served at least two years on active duty. The MGIB-SR helps

veterans who served in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps or Coast Guard Reserve, Army National Guard, or Air National Guard. To discover which GI Bill you may qualify for, visit https://www.va.gov/education/eligibility/

The GI Bill covers more than just tuition. You can use part of your entitlement to cover the cost of certain tests you need to take to become a licensed or certified professional—or to apply for college or a training course. The VA only covers tests approved for the GI Bill, so find out what’s approved before you take any tests by visiting https://www.va.gov/education/about-gi-billbenefits/how-to-use-benefits/test-fees/

If you applied for and were awarded Post-9/11 GI Bill education benefits, your GI Bill Statement of Benefits will show you how much of your benefits you’ve used and how much you have left to use.

Veteran Readiness and Employment If you have a VA service-connected disability, the Veteran Readiness and Employment program (formerly called Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment) can help. This program—also known as Chapter 31 or VR&E—helps you explore

employment options and address education or trainin Sg U BneeH E A D I N Gds. If approved for the Employment through Long-Term Services track, the program may be able to provide financial assistance with paying for education and certification related costs. Learn more by visiting https://www.va.gov/careersemployment/vocationalrehabilitation/programs/ TEACH GRANT Through Federal Student Aid (FSA), DoE offers the Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant. The program provides grants of up to $4,000 a year to students who are completing or plan to complete course work needed to begin a career in teaching. One of the eligibility criteria is to attend a TEACH Grant eligible program. An eligible program includes a program of study that is designed to prepare you to teach as a highly qualified teacher in a high-need field and that leads to a bachelor’s or master’s degree, or is a postbaccalaureate program. Schools that participate in the program determine which of their programs are TEACH-Grant eligible. Contact the financial aid office at the school you are attending (or that you plan to attend) to find out which programs at that school are eligible.

NOTE: The TEACH Grant is different from other federal student grants because it requires you agree to complete a teaching service obligation as a condition for receiving the grant, and if you don't complete the service obligation, the TEACH Grant will be converted to a loan that you must repay, with interest.

To learn more about the program, visit https://studentaid.gov/understandaid/types/grants/teach FSA Teacher Loan Forgiveness Do you have federal student loans? Did you know that you may be able to have your federal student loans forgiven for your service as a teacher? Under the Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program, if you teach full time for five complete and consecutive academic years in a low-income school or educational service agency, and meet other qualifications, you may be eligible for forgiveness of up to $17,500 on your Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans and your Subsidized and Unsubsidized Federal Stafford Loans. If you have a Direct Consolidation Loan or a Federal Consolidation Loan, you may be eligible for forgiveness of the outstanding portion of the consolidation loan that repaid an eligible Direct Subsidized Loan, Direct Unsubsidized Loan, Subsidized Federal Stafford Loan, or Unsubsidized Federal Stafford Loan. Learn more by visiting, https://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/forgivenesscancellation/teacher