The Tennessee College of Applied Technology welcomes veterans, service members, and dependents interested in completing a college education! Let us help you meet your goals as you transition from service to student.
Our college is the ideal environment for transitioning veterans to fulfill their higher education goals. TCAT military students enjoy the benefits of quality training with the recognition and honor they deserve.
We understand the unique challenges facing veterans, active-duty service members, guardsmen, reservists, and their family members in the pursuit of a college education. Your military background has been an incredibly important part of your journey so far, and we value the unique perspective you can contribute to our student body.
For more information about these programs, contact Veterans Services.
VA Education Benefits
- Go to: https://www.va.gov/education/how-to-apply/
- If you need assistance with the application for benefits, you can contact the School Certifying Official [RW1] at the college for assistance.
- If you are unsure of the benefits available to you, please contact the Department of Veterans Affairs at 1-888-442-4551 or 1-800-827-1000.
Monthly education pay is based on which GI Bill® the veteran is entitled to receive and the length of the qualifying military service. Current payment rates can be found by visiting the VA online rate tables. Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients’ tuition and fees payments will be sent directly to the school. Monthly housing allowance and books/supplies stipends are sent directly to the student.
Copies of the following documents must be submitted to the VA School Certifying Official (SCO), located in Student Services:
- Certificate of Eligibility—1st day of training
- DD Form 214—1st day of training
- Post-secondary Transcripts—within two trimesters of beginning training*
*Upon admission into a program of study, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) requires that all students be evaluated and granted appropriate credit for any program related skills in which they show proficiency.
The SCO will certify the veteran’s enrollment with the VA. Once the VA receives a veteran's enrollment information, it can take 6-8 weeks for payment to be received.
Enrollment Verification
To receive payment, students utilizing certain veteran education benefits are required to verify enrollment monthly. To see if you are required to verify your enrollment monthly to receive your monthly payment, please visit: https://www.va.gov/education/verify-school-enrollment/.
- Failure to submit the appropriate VA documents to TCAT
- Prior training for which you are granted credit
- Breaks in training greater than 7 days
- Failure to verify your enrollment
- Drops or Withdrawals
- Non-attendance
Visit https://www.va.gov/education/change-gi-bill-benefits/ to transfer your training to the TCAT.
- Post-9/11 GI Bill® (Chapter 33)
- Montgomery GI Bill® - Active Duty (Chapter 30)
- Veteran Readiness and Employment (Chapter 31)
- Montgomery GI Bill® - Selected Reserve (Chapter 1606)
- Survivors’ & Dependents’ Educational Assistance Program (DEA/Chapter 35)
NOTE: VA education benefits can only be used for full-time on-campus programs.
- DD 214
- Certificate of Eligibility
- Military transcript
- Army, Navy, Marines, Coast Guard, Space Force - https://jst.doded.mil
- Air Force - https://www.parchment.com/u/registration/32882/institution
Additional requirements can be found on the Admissions page
Already have a TCAT email, use the following:
Submit Prior Credit Evaluation Request
New or don't have a TCAT email, use the following:
Submit Prior Credit Evaluation Request
More information about prior learning credit.
Students can access their information on eBenefits
Students can submit questions to the VA by the following methods:
- Call the GI Bill® Hotline at 1-888-442-4551
- Ask VA
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.
Veteran Campus Certified
Our campus has earned VETS Campus certification by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission, certifying the college’s commitment to programs and services to help veterans succeed as they pursue their education.
The VETS Campus program was established by the Tennessee Veterans Education Transition Support (VETS) Act, enacted by the state legislature in 2014 to assist veterans of military service in continuing their educations. The Act details a rigorous set of seven programs, requirements and qualifications that colleges and universities must meet to earn VETS Campus certification.
Veterans and active-duty military personnel may be eligible to earn academic credit for their military training and experience, depending on the applicability of the credit to their chosen program, under provisions of the VETS Act.
The Act requires colleges to prioritize outreach to the veterans, allocate resources for their successful transition from military service to college, and successfully deliver services that create a supportive environment where student veterans can prosper while pursuing their education.
The Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC) administers the program, awards certifications, and reviews the institutions for renewal of their certifications.
Specific requirements of the VETS Act include mentoring and support programs for student veterans; creating and maintaining a process for assessing prior learning that grants academic credit to veterans for transferable training and experience attained through their military service; conducting annual surveys of student veterans’ views, needs, issues and suggestions; providing special orientation programs for student veterans; special outreach to veterans, and more.
TCAT Crossville Chapter Student Veteran Association
Meet the members!
Jaci Palmer, President James Gale, Vice President Riley Young, Secretary Matt Watkins, Advisor Tammie McCloud, Advisor Bill Bruce, Advisor
For more information about the association contact bill.bruce @tcatcrossville.edu or visit https://studentveterans.org/
Contact tammie.mccloud@tcatcrossville.edu
THEC Service member Opportunity Portal
Veterans Resources:
Resources for Student Veterans During COVID-19
VA Housing Grants for Disabled Veterans
Current VA Loan Rates Available Locally
Top 60 Veteran & Military-Friendly Employers
College Resources for Veterans and Their Families
Top 10 Work from Home Jobs for Military Spouses & Veterans with Disability
Trusted Military and Veteran Service Organizations
Highly-Rated Nonprofits Dedicated to Veterans and Military Service Members
Tennessee’s community and technical colleges honor veterans, including 39 recipients of the Chancellor’s Commendation for Military Veterans for 2022
NASHVILLE (Nov. 9, 2022) – Tennessee’s community and technical colleges are honoring veterans on their campuses – students, faculty, staff and alumni – in Veterans Day activities this week. One veteran at each college will be awarded the Chancellor’s Commendation for Military Veterans, a special recognition launched three years ago by Tennessee Board of Regents Chancellor Flora W. Tydings.
The 39 Chancellor’s Commendation honorees for 2022 include 14 students, 14 faculty members and 11 college staff members who served in the military. Eighteen recipients served in the Army, eight in the Marine Corps, eight in the Navy, three in the Air Force, one in the Coast Guard and one in the National Guard.
The Chancellor’s Commendation is conferred in the form of a specially commissioned challenge coin featuring the military branches on one side and the Chancellor’s Commendation designation on the other. Challenge coins have a long tradition in all military branches, awarded by commanders in recognition of special achievement, excellence, hard work, unit pride, respect and esprit de corps.
The honorees are nominated by their college president. Presidents may nominate a student, member of the faculty or staff, or an alumnus who are veterans or active-service members and who exemplify characteristics of honor, courage, commitment, integrity, duty, respect, discipline and sacrifice. Presidents describe how their nominees demonstrate those traits and how they embody values of the College System of Tennessee, such as commitment to student success, service to campus and community, courage in adversity, and academic excellence.
“Our college communities are strengthened by the presence of veterans and active-duty personnel – as students, faculty, staff and alumni,” Dr. Tydings said. “They – and the experience and perspective they bring – are an important part of the broad diversity of people and backgrounds on our campuses that benefits everyone.
“We are committed to serving them as they served our country. It’s a privilege to honor them, not only on Veterans Day but all year. I thank our presidents, our faculty and our entire campus communities for their work in ensuring that veterans are served and welcomed,” the chancellor said.
That commitment is underscored by the system’s active participation in the state’s VETS Campus program. All 13 community colleges in the system are now certified VETS Campuses, which means they prioritize outreach to veterans, allocate resources for their successful transition from military service to college, and successfully deliver services that create a supportive environment where student veterans can prosper while pursuing their education.
Two of the system’s technical colleges – the Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology at Chattanooga and Dickson – have also earned VETS Campus certification, and the others are working toward earning certification, said Dr. Robert M. Denn, TBR associate vice chancellor and veterans services officer.
The VETS Campus program was established by the Tennessee Veterans Education Transition Support (VETS) Act enacted by the Tennessee General Assembly in 2014. The statute details a rigorous set of seven requirements that colleges and universities must meet to earn VETS Campus certification. The Tennessee Higher Education Commission administers the program, awards the certifications and annually reviews compliance with the requirements.
Requirements for VETS Campus certification include mentoring and support programs for student veterans; creating and maintaining a process for assessing prior learning that grants academic credit to veterans for transferable training and experience attained through their military service; conducting annual surveys of student veterans’ views, needs, issues and suggestions, providing special orientation programs for student veterans, and more.
The 2022 Chancellor’s Commendation for Military Veterans honorees, their association with the college, and their military branches are:
COMMUNITY COLLEGES:
Chattanooga State: William Visher, faculty, Navy
Cleveland State: Nathan Westfield, staff, Marine Corps
Columbia State: Joaquin Ortiz, staff, National Guard
Dyersburg State: Michael Peeler, staff, Army
Jackson State: Tom Pigg, faculty, Air Force
Motlow State: Jamie Roper, student, Marine Corps
Nashville State: Dawne Moore, staff, Army
Northeast State: Richard Blevins, faculty, Air Force
Pellissippi State: Erin Russell, student, Army
Roane State: Joseph Wescom, student, Army
Southwest Tennessee: Velvet McCallum, staff, Army
Volunteer State: Curtis Malone, staff, Army
Walters State: Jared Smith, staff, Navy
TENNESSEE COLLEGES OF APPLIED TECHNOLOGY:
TCAT Athens: Russ Troutt, faculty, Navy
TCAT Chattanooga: Duane Pendergraph, staff, Marine Corps
TCAT Covington: Connie Hitzel, student, Coast Guard
TCAT Crossville: Michael McCarthy, student, Army
TCAT Crump: Gabriel Alvarado, faculty, Army
TCAT Dickson: Tom Aplin, student, Army
TCAT Elizabethton: Noah Cody, student, Marine Corps
TCAT Harriman: Victor Martin, faculty, Navy
TCAT Hartsville: Justin Oliver, student, Army
TCAT Hohenwald: Clinton Natschke, faculty, Marine Corps
TCAT Jacksboro: Don McNamara, student, Marine Corps
TCAT Jackson: Odell Dupree, staff, Army
TCAT Knoxville: Jose Miranda, faculty, Army
TCAT Livingston: Cody Schebel, student, Army
TCAT McKenzie: Denton Jordan, student, Air Force
TCAT McMinnville: Raymond Rigsby, faculty, Army
TCAT Memphis: Ricky Batts, staff, Navy
TCAT Morristown: Jared Lester, student, Marine Corps
TCAT Murfreesboro: Joshua Brown, faculty, Army
TCAT Nashville: Pat Dillard, faculty, Army
TCAT Northwest: James Daniels, faculty, Navy
TCAT Oneida/Huntsville: Lewis Wohlman, staff, Navy
TCAT Paris: Howard Pomerantz, student, Army
TCAT Pulaski: Colby Bosheers, faculty, Army
TCAT Ripley: Kenneth Nevill, faculty, Navy
TCAT Shelbyville: Daniel Perkins, student, Marine Corps
Information on resources for veterans interested in pursuing their education, including the complete list of approved VETS Campuses, is available at https://www.tn.gov/thec/veteran.html
Additional information on financial assistance, academic credit for military training and experience and other resources for veterans is available at https://www.tbr.edu/student-success/veterans-and-military-families-support
