Registration &
Adding, Dropping, Repeating Classes & Classes That Meet Less Than The Entire Length Of The Term

It is the responsibility of each student to contact Veterans' Services as soon as possible after class registration each term to verify that the courses they have registered for are required for their program and are eligible for benefits. In accordance with VA regulations, failure to verify class registration could result in termination of benefits and creation of a VA overpayment obligation that the student will be responsible to repay.  Students with questions about this requirement should contact the Chemeketa Veterans' Services office.

Four times each term, the Veterans’ Services staff is required to verify that students who are receiving VA educational benefits remain registered for the classes they originally requested benefits for.  If a student adds or drops a class that changes their training time (Chapter 30, Chapter 31, Chapter 35, Chapter 1606 & Chapter 1607) or either changes their rate of pursuit and/or the cost of their tuition & fees (Chapter 33 only), this information will be reported to the VA.

Additionally, if a student drops a class that is eligible for benefits and adds a class that is not eligible for benefits as outlined in the Chemeketa college catalog for their declared degree or program and the class is not a required program or academic prerequisite, and the change alters the student’s training time (full-time, three-quarter time, half-time) or their rate of pursuit, that change will also be reported to the VA.

Registration verification is done at the beginning of the third week of each term, the 31st day of the term (the day after the last day to drop a class without incurring a VA overpayment penalty), the beginning of the 7th week of the term, and the day after the last day to drop a class without a responsibility for a grade.  Staffing in the Chemeketa Community College Veterans’ Services office does not allow us to inform the student when changes impacting benefit payments are reported to the VA.

A student who has requested VA benefits must also follow normal school procedures for add/drops. All add/drops must immediately be reported to the Veterans' Services Office. Students receiving VA educational benefits will be asked to complete and sign a Change in Veteran Educational Benefit Enrollment Status Request if they add or drop a class.  If a student is unable to visit our office in person, they should send an e-mail to veterans@chemeketa.edu notifying us of the change. The e-mail should include the student's name, K#, name of program or degree, and the class they wish to add or drop. In order to protect student's privacy, requests to drop a class are not taken over the phone - a signed authorization of e-mail is required.

If a student drops below the number of certified hours before the end of the fourth week of the term, the VA will pay benefits through the last date of attendance in the class or classes.

If a student drops below the number of certified hours after the fourth week of the term, the VA will probably charge an overpayment back to the beginning of the term. If there are mitigating circumstances, and they are accepted by the VA, the overpayment may be reduced or waived. The student must submit the mitigating circumstances in writing to the VA if he/she wishes a waiver of overpayment to be considered. The student's statement needs to be accompanied by a statement from an involved person (such as a doctor, employer, family counselor, etc.)

Repeating Courses

VA will not pay for any course that has been successfully completed through any previous education. This includes any course taken at another institution or accepted as credit from military experience. This is one reason that it is very important for students to have all previous education and experience evaluated at the earliest opportunity. If credit from a prior institution transfers in and the student is enrolled in the course or it has been taken at Chemeketa, benefits will be reduced for the term the repeat course was taken. This could result in an overpayment obligation to the VA. VA does allow students to repeat a course if the original grade was not high enough to meet program requirements and a successful completion of the course is required to obtain the degree or certificate. "R" grades for repeated course can cause VA overpayments-see below.

Classes That Do Not Meet The Entire Length Of The Term

    While most classes at Chemeketa begin the first week of the term and end the last week of the term, some classes do not.  These shorter classes have the potential to reduce the amount of benefits you receive.  If one or more of your classes meet less than the full length of the term, VA regulations require that the actual beginning and ending dates of the class must be reported when your benefits are certified each term.  As an example, during a fall term that begins September 28th and ends December 12th, if a student takes a 4 credit science class, a 4 credit math course, a 3 credit writing class and a 1 credit keyboarding class class that begins October 5th and ends November 13th, the student will be certified at the 3/4 time rate (9-11 credits) from September 28th until October 4th, certified at the full-time rate from October 5th until November 13th, and then at the 3/4 time rate from November 14th until the end of the term on December 12th.
    If you have questions regarding classes that meet part of the term, please contact Chemeketa Veterans' Services.

Requesting an "R" Grade

Students who repeat Chemeketa courses and receive a higher grade the second time may request to have the original grade changed to an "R". The first grade must have been punitive (B, C, D, or F). I, M, N, and X are non-punitive grades and cannot be changed to an R which is also non-punitive (meaning that it is not calculated into the GPA). Both courses must have been taken at Chemeketa. Courses transferred from another institution are not eligible for an "R" grade. Please be aware that VA only allows payment for punitive grades that are calculated in GPA and apply toward completion of the certified program. If a student who has ever applied for veterans' educational benefits has a grade changed to an R, the VA is notified and will create an overpayment situation for the term the course was originally taken if the reduction due to the R changes the certification status. Any student using veteran educational benefits should contact Chemeketa Veterans' Services to discuss the consequences prior to submitting the request form.

Updated January 29, 2010 by Chemeketa Veterans' Services