Approval Process

If you are interested in having your institution approved for veterans' education please follow the guidelines below.

Initially, two main criteria must be met:

1. Your institution must be licensed/authorized by the appropriate state, regional, or federal agency; and
   
   
2. If your institution is private profit or non-profit, and the training does not lead to a standard college degree, Public Law 104-275 requires that the institution and program for which approval is requested must have operated continuously for a period of two years before approval may be granted.
   

Instructions:

If your institution meets the above criteria, simply send us a letter requesting approval for veterans training. If the type of training offered is not obvious from the school or business title, please provide a brief description of the training. When we receive the written inquiry, we will mail an application packet requesting catalogs and other data on your institution. Expect to receive the application packet approximately two weeks after you send your letter.

When you receive our application packet, please provide all of the data requested. If you have questions, please call us for clarification. Please ensure you provide us two (2) copies of your institution’s catalog, brochures, student handbook, etc.

We will also call and set up a mutually agreeable time for an on-site visit. This visit serves as an inspection of the premises and a review of all application/approval procedures. We will discuss VA student record keeping requirements during the visit, and address any questions you have about the approval process.

After reviewing your application, completing the site inspection, and assuming all approval/compliance requirements are met, we will send you a letter approving your institution and forward our approval package to the VA for their acceptance. If accepted, you will receive notice from the VA that the school has been accepted and that you may begin certifying veteran students for GI Bill payments.

This approval process generally takes 60-90 days. If there are eligible veteran students enrolled when you apply, please make us aware of that, and of the date the veteran(s) started training. However, please remember that no veteran student may be certified for payment of GI Bill benefits until we have approved your institution, and VA has accepted the approval.

Following the initial approval, when you publish new catalogs, or significantly change an existing catalog, we will ask you to submit an update of your institutional catalogs along with a catalog approval packet. You may download a catalog approval packet for your type of school by choosing the appropriate link at the left of the page. If you have had veterans enrolled for the federal fiscal year (October-September), we will make an annual supervisory visit to your school to check each veterans' record. If you have not had veterans enrolled that fiscal year, we will not normally conduct a supervisory visit.

Any changes to institutional programs or policies must be reported to the State Approving Agency by letter. Failure to do so could result in suspension of approval and the interruption of GI Bill payments to your veterans.

Who To Contact :

Please send all requests or comments to:

Tennessee Higher Education Commission
Veterans Education/State Approving Agency
Parkway Towers, Suite 1900
404 James Robertson Pkwy.
Nashville, TN 37243-0830

Attn: Tom Morrison (or)
Deborah Gardner
Email: tom.morrison@state.tn.us
deborah.gardner@state.tn.us
Voice: (615) 741-7569 or 741-3606
Fax: (615) 741-6230

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