Navy College office streamlines off-duty education 4/22/2010
by MC1 (SW/AW) Johnny Michael
ABOARD USS WASP (NNS) -- Sailors looking to advance their education goals need to navigate through a number of recent changes to the Navy College Office program.
The most important change is that Sailors have an easier way to complete Tuition Assistance (TA) applications thanks to the new WebTA portal being implemented on the Navy College Office Web site.
Since April 15, WebTA portal submissions are required for all TA applications, thereby replacing the current paper application process.
"The implementation of WebTA gives our Sailors a more streamlined, quicker process for continuing their education," said Aviation Ordnanceman 1st Class Jason Gardner, the TA coordinator on board USS Wasp (LHD 1). "WebTA takes what was once a process of routing paperwork through the Navy College Office that could take over a week to complete, to a process that in most cases could be completed in less than a day."
Enabling the TA application for the Web is just one part of the overall process, however. Sailors now find a comprehensive tool set designed to reorganize the various facets of their voluntary education efforts, said Mary Redd-Clary, the Navy's Voluntary Education (VOLED) program director.
"WebTA allows Sailors to complete all steps in the tuition assistance and education planning process online," said Redd-Clary.
The first step for Sailors in that process is to complete an individual education plan, which details their overall educational goals. The individual education plan identifies which courses should be taken in what order, given an overall limit of 16 semester hours per fiscal year. In addition, Sailors should ensure the college they choose does not exceed the current Department of Defense tuition cap of $250 per semester hour or $166.67 per quarter hour.
Along with the new requirements for applying for TA, the Navy now requires newly enlisted Sailors and commissioned officers to be on board for at least one year at their first permanent duty stations prior to using TA.
"The requirement of first-term Sailors having to complete one year at their first command allows them to focus more on gaining the professional knowledge and completing the required PQS prior to them embarking on continuing their off duty education," said Gardner.
For more details about the upcoming changes, Sailors are encouraged to visit the Navy College Office, https://www.navycollege.navy.mil/.
