Veteran Services

1. Apply for admissions online to Cascadia College
2. Attend Veteran Orientation & Information Session

The VA Orientation will be a one on one appointment with the VA Certifying Official/Academic Advisor lasting one hour and includes class selection for the upcoming quarter. Email veterans@cascadia.edu to schedule for a VA orientation session.

1. Submit Official & Unofficial Transcripts from Prior Education

Complete the Transcript Evaluation Request Form. This form should be completed, listing all applicable sources of prior credit. Transcript Evaluation Request Form can be submitted without your official transcripts being received and will be held until the official transcripts are received.

• This includes transcripts from prior schools attended, and military training, including those schools before, during and after active duty.
• Cascadia will award academic and vocational credit for transcripted military training.
• Credit will be awarded from a student's Joint Services Transcript (JST) based on recommendations from the American Council on Education.
• As a regionally accredited college, courses from the Community College of the Air Force will be accepted in transfer with the same consideration as courses from any other regionally accredited institution of higher education.
• Other training or experiences for which a student would like to receive credit for will be assessed through the college's Prior Learning Assessment process.

All official transcripts must be submitted by the end of your first quarter of enrollment at Cascadia. Cascadia reserves the right to request official transcripts prior to a veteran beginning classes, if deemed necessary to assess academic standing. Official transcripts can be sent to:

Cascadia College
Attn: Credentials Evaluator
18345 Campus Way NE
Bothell, WA 98011

• Audit, Withdrawal, Non-required and Repeat Courses

The law prohibits payment for auditing a course or payment for any course for which a grade assigned is not used in computing requirements for graduation. This includes repeats of grade of “D” or better (unless a higher grade is required); withdrawals; and courses which are not applicable for your declared degree objective. This does not apply to repeats of required courses which you have failed. If you are not sure, please contact the VA Certifying Official before repeating a course.

• Remedial and Deficiency Courses

Remedial and deficiency courses are typically intended to assist individuals in overcoming weaknesses in particular areas of study at the secondary school level. Often, institutions will require the completion of certain deficiency courses without granting credit toward graduation. Remedial and deficiency courses usually refer to courses with course numbers below 100 level. Basic English language or mathematics courses are authorized only when the need for training has been established by accepted testing methods (compass or asset test scores). Remedial and deficiency courses may not be taken in an online or hybrid format.  PLEASE NOTE: CHAPTER 30, 32, AND 33 PARTICIPANTS: the student’s entitlement will be charged for pursuit of these types of training.

• Attendance and progress

You must meet attendance and academic progress standards to remain eligible for benefits. All students receiving DVA Educational Benefits are required to maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) according to published standards established and enforced by the College. Title 38, United States code, Sections 1674 and 1724 requires that education assistance benefits to veterans and other eligible persons be discontinued when a student ceases to make satisfactory progress towards completion of his or her training objective. Therefore, Cascadia’s Certifying Official will discontinue certification and will inform the DVA of this action. The full Veterans Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy is listed below in the Veterans Form section.

We encourage students to opt into text messaging, which is a simple, quick option for verifying monthly enrollment and ensuring you receive MHA payments uninterrupted. All impacted students with a US mobile phone number on file should receive an opt-in text message after being enrolled in your courses. You must respond to this text within 14 days. After opting in, you can simply reply to a VA text message each month to verify your enrollment. If you opt out of text message verification or do not respond to the opt-in text, you will be automatically enrolled in email verification with the email address on file with the VA.

For more information, refer to the Enrollment Verification webpage where many helpful resources are highlighted, including Frequently Asked Questions

Veterans that are not yet Washington State residents may qualify for an exception that would allow them to pay resident tuition rates. This is helpful because VA will only pay tuition at the resident tuition rate, if receiving VA Educational Benefits, leaving some veterans with an out of pocket amount to cover the tuition difference. To qualify, a veteran needs to meet the following criteria:

• Has been separated from the military under honorable conditions
• Has served a minimum of 2 years
• Has entered an institution of higher education in Washington within one year of the date of separation
• Has declared Washington as an intended domicile, official home of record or has already established a domicile in Washington in accordance with RCW 28B.15.013

If you believe you are eligible for this exception, please contact the VA Certifying Official on campus to discuss your next steps.

Some veterans are eligible for various educational benefits through Montgomery GI Bill®, Post 9/11, and/or other Veteran Affairs benefits depending on status. If you have benefits that you would like to utilize while attending school at Cascadia, please attend the Veterans Orientation and Information Session to get information on how to set your benefits up at this school.

You can receive limited financial assistance and other support to upgrade your skills through the Worker Retraining program if:

• You plan to enroll in professional technical training (academic programs do not qualify; see Eligible Programs)
• You have received an honorable discharge in the last 24 months

Some veterans are able to receive their VA benefits and financial aid concurrently. We can also help you apply for other financial aid (grants, work-study, and /or loans) to fund your living expenses and remaining credits. Students, whether receiving VA benefits or not, are eligible to apply for financial aid.

If you are the dependent child or spouse of a veteran and are not yet a Washington State resident, you may qualify for an exception that would allow you to pay resident tuition rates. This is helpful because VA will only pay tuition at the resident tuition rate, if receiving VA Educational Benefits leaving some dependents/spouses with an out of pocket amount to cover the tuition difference.

To qualify, a dependent child or spouse must be connected to a veteran that meets the following criteria:

• Has been separated from the military under honorable conditions
• Has served a minimum of 2 years

The dependent child or spouse must meet the following criteria:

• Has entered an institution of higher education in Washington within one year of the date of separation
• Has declared Washington as his/her primary domicile, in accordance with RCW 28B.15.013
• At time of discharge designates Washington as his/her intended domicile

If you believe you are eligible to be granted this exception, please contact the VA Certifying Official on campus to discuss your next steps.

We can also help you apply for other financial aid (grants, work-study, and /or loans) to fund your living expenses and remaining credits. Students, whether receiving VA benefits or not, are eligible to apply for financial aid.

Cascadia College and the State of Washington honor our Washington resident veterans by offering a 25% tuition waiver. For veterans planning to use their VA Educational benefits, this form is completed at the VA Orientation. If you are planning to use your benefits, or do not have benefits to use, and think you are eligible for this waiver, please complete the Eligible Veteran or National Guard Member Tuition Waiver form and submit it to the front counter at the Kodiak Corner front counter.

The Veteran Quarterly Information Form (QF) can be accessed online and is required for any Veteran or dependent who wishes to use their benefits for the Winter and/or Spring quarters. It informs the Veteran Services office that you plan to use your VA funding for the Winter and/or Spring quarters. Please submit separate QF for each quarter and by the dates listed below to prevent any delay in processing your certification. Delay in certification means delays in receiving eligible benefits including MHA or textbook allowances. Forms submitted after that date will be processed as received.

All students receiving educational benefits from the Department of Veteran Affairs are required to submit official transcripts. This includes transcripts from prior colleges and training including those before, during and after active duty. Transcripts should be submitted prior to the veteran's 1st quarter to continue to remain eligible to use VA benefits at Cascadia. Cascadia reserves the right to request official transcripts be submitted sooner, if deemed necessary, based on the veteran's educational history. This form should be completed, listing all applicable sources of prior credit. The Transcript Evaluation Request Form can be submitted without your official transcripts being received and will be held until the official transcripts are received.

All veterans wishing to use, or using VA Educational benefits, must comply with the school's Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy (see above). A veterans academic progress will be checked prior to beginning to use benefits at Cascadia, and at the end of each quarter that benefits are being use. If a veteran is terminated from using benefits at Cascadia because SAP requirements have not been met but mitigating circumstances exist, a veteran can complete a Veteran Educational Benefits Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Appeal Form and submit it to the VA Certifying Official, with appropriate documentation, to have the circumstances reviewed for possible reinstatement