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)
- 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.
Contact tammie.mccloud@tcatuppercumberland.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 37 recipients of the Chancellor’s Commendation for Military Veterans for 2023
NASHVILLE (Nov. 10, 2023) – Tennessee’s community and technical colleges are honoring veterans of military service – including students, faculty, staff and alumni – in Veterans Day activities this week. As part of those ceremonies, one veteran at each college will be awarded the Chancellor’s Commendation for Military Veterans, a special recognition launched four years ago by Tennessee Board of Regents Chancellor Flora W. Tydings.
The Chancellor’s Commendation is conferred in the form of a specially commissioned Challenge Coin featuring symbols of 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; they are awarded by commanders and signify special achievement, excellence, hard work, unit pride, respect and esprit de corps.
The 37 Chancellor’s Commendation honorees for 2023 include 17 students, 11 faculty members, 8 college staff members, and 1 alumnus who all served in the military. Of this year’s honorees, 11 served in the Navy, 10 in the Army, 8 in the Marine Corps, 5 in the Air Force, and 3 in the National Guard.
The honorees are nominated by their college president. Presidents may nominate a student, member of the faculty or staff, or an alumnus of the college who are veterans or active-service members and who exemplify characteristics of honor, courage, commitment, integrity, duty, respect, discipline and sacrifice.
“Our college communities are strengthened by the presence on campus of veterans and active-duty personnel – as students, faculty, staff and alumni,” Tydings said. “They and the experiences and perspectives 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,” the chancellor said. “I thank our presidents, our faculty and our entire campus communities for their work in ensuring that veterans are served and welcomed.”
That commitment is underscored by the system’s proud and active participation in the state’s VETS Campus program. All 13 TBR community colleges are now certified VETS Campuses, which means they prioritize outreach to veterans, allocate resources for veterans’ successful transition from military service to college enrollment, and successfully deliver services that create a supportive environment where student veterans can prosper while pursuing their education.
Six of the system’s technical colleges – Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology (TCAT) Chattanooga, Crossville, Dickson, Jackson, McMinnville and Nashville – have also earned VETS Campus certification, and the 18 others are working toward earning certification.
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 requirements colleges and universities must meet to earn certification. The Tennessee Higher Education Commission administers the program, awards the certifications and monitors for ongoing compliance with the requirements.
The primary requirements for VETS Campus certification also 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, and providing special orientation programs for student veterans.
The 2023 Chancellor’s Commendation for Military Veterans honorees, their association with the college, and their military branches are:
COMMUNITY COLLEGES:
· Chattanooga State: Mark Terrell, Network Analyst, U.S. Navy
· Cleveland State: Rick Monroe, Associate Professor of Advanced Technologies , U.S. Air Force
· Columbia State: Sarah Frazier, Student, U.S. Marine Corps
· Dyersburg State: Wayne Corlis, Assistant Professor of Accounting and Business, U.S. Navy
· Jackson State: Paul Morgan, Dean of Students, U.S. Marine Corps
· Motlow State: Adam Creason, Student, U.S. Army
· Nashville State: Carri Duncan, Student, U.S. Navy
· Northeast State: Susan Graybeal, Vice President for Institutional Excellence and Student Success, U.S. Navy
· Pellissippi State: Norman Naylor, Alumnus, U.S. Air Force
· Roane State: Steve Ward, Associate Professor of Chemistry, National Guard
· Southwest Tennessee: Lennon Pearson, Manager of Client Services, U.S. Army
· Volunteer State: Edward Tacke, Adjunct Professor of Mechatronics, U.S. Air Force
· Walters State: Wesley Pierce, Associate Professor of Nursing, U.S. Army
TENNESSEE COLLEGES OF APPLIED TECHNOLOGY:
· TCAT Athens: Harry Gordon, Student, U.S. Marine Corps
· TCAT Chattanooga: Atlas Rising, Student, U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Army
· TCAT Upper Cumberland: Bill Bruce, Special Programs Coordinator, U.S. Navy
· TCAT Crump: Kerry Warren, Student, U.S. Navy
· TCAT Dickson: Gabriel Nunez, Special Industry Apprenticeships Instructor, U.S. Army
· TCAT Elizabethton: Jonathan Rounds, Student, U.S. Army
· TCAT Harriman: Cameron Cofer, Student, National Guard
· TCAT Hartsville: Robert Blankenship, Student, U.S. Army
· TCAT Henry/Carroll: Jeremy Thompson, Student, U.S. Navy
· TCAT Hohenwald: Jorge Jimenez, Student, U.S. Marine Corps
· TCAT Jacksboro: Daniel Durham, Student, U.S. Air Force
· TCAT Jackson: James Finch, Student, U.S. Army
· TCAT Knoxville: Mike Gallimore, Inventory Management Specialist, U.S. Marine Corps
· TCAT Livingston: James Johnson, Student, National Guard
· TCAT McKenzie: Ben Branham, Student, U.S. Marine Corps
· TCAT McMinnville: Donnie Fults, Maintenance/Utility Staff, U.S. Army
· TCAT Memphis: Carlton Carter, Electronics Technology Instructor, U.S. Marine Corps
· TCAT Morristown: Audrey Lavender, Student Records/Registrar, U.S. Army
· TCAT Murfreesboro: Les Smith, Industrial Electrical Maintenance Instructor, U.S. Navy
· TCAT Nashville: Joseph Redemske, Computer Information Technology Instructor, U.S. Navy
· TCAT Northwest: Donald Hudson, Industrial Maintenance Instructor, U.S. Navy
· TCAT Oneida/Huntsville: Johnnie Long, Student, U.S. Air Force
· TCAT Pulaski: Amber DeGrave, Student, U.S. Army
· TCAT Shelbyville: Kenneth Bottoms, Truck Driving Instructor, U.S. Navy and National Guard
Information on resources for veterans interested in pursuing their education 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/.../veterans-and-military-families...
TCAT Upper Cumberland: Bill Bruce, Special Programs Coordinator, U.S. Navy is pictured below
#VeteransDay #VeteransDay2023
Nursing Career Guide for Veterans and Returning Service Members | NursingEducation
Explore the advantages of a nursing career as a veteran, including high demand and great pay, while discovering how veterans can leverage their skills for a smooth transition. This guide covers job prospects, academic preparation, financial aid, and job opportunities, all tailored to veterans' specific needs. Visit https://nursingeducation.org/resources/career-guide-for-veterans/
TCAT Upper Cumberland Chapter Student Veteran Association
The Student Veterans of America TCAT Crossville Chapter is a social and informational organization dedicated to serving students, staff, faculty, and alumni of the campus. As a non-political entity, it provides a platform for members to connect, share information, organize activities, foster camaraderie, and contribute to the enhancement of the campus and local community.
Who We Are
Student Veterans of America® (SVA) is the foremost organization dedicated to leading service, research, programs, and advocacy for veterans in higher education.
Our Vision
To empower student veterans to lead and live their best lives.
Our Mission
To act as a catalyst for student veteran success by providing resources, network support, and advocacy throughout their higher education journey and beyond.
For more information about the association contact bill.bruce@tcatuppercumberland.edu or visit https://studentveterans.org/