Navy veteran Alicia Hanson is the first student to be certified under the new veteran service code by the Military Affairs Office in the Patriots’ Casa of Texas A&M University-San Antonio.
Hanson served in the Navy 2008-2012 as a helicopter mechanic.
The Military Affairs Office announced the important developmental step earlier this semester. Under this change, students receive their money faster after getting certified under the new veteran service code.
“The big change for our students is we become our own entity in the VA eyes,” said Richard Delgado, director of Military Affairs and Army ROTC U.S. Marine Corps veteran. “So just like financial aid and things that are tied to Kingsville, this fall is our first breakaway.”
A&M-San Antonio, once accredited through Texas A&M University-Kingsville, received independent accreditation in 2014.
“This will lessen our certification time,” Delgado said.
He added that once they tell students they’re good to go now, the process is eased because there won’t be an additional wait time for Texas A&M-Kingsville to certify them.
“That’s the biggest one for our students,” he added.
Speeding up the process helps students receive their money faster to pay for tuition and books, which in turn helps them prepare for classes.
“When I say ‘certify’ that means their entitlement that they have earned, or the family members have earned while serving,” Delgado said. “[The certification] basically pays the bills, the tuition bills, the books and stipend, depending on what it is.”
“Being in the Navy teaches you, really, you can do anything,” Hanson said. “In a matter of six months, I went from never seeing a helicopter in person, to standing in front of a spinning helicopter tearing apart things and engines and putting it back together again. You just learn, and once you realize you can learn anything, you can do anything.”
Hanson came in person to register and submit all her documents for Fall 2016. She plans on receiving her degree in Education, EC-6 General in Spring Term 2018.
Here at the university, nearly 18 percent of the student population is military connected including active duty, veterans, retirees, guard and reserve men and women and the family members who have earned entitlement or service member which has passed entitlement off to them.
In addition to the federal side of benefits, there is also the state side of benefits called the Hazlewood Act and that is 150 semester credit hours that the state picks up.
“We serve those who serve,” Delgado said. “So we want to make sure that we are doing everything that we need to do to serve our population.”
