CANNON AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. -- Recently, the Air Force made several changes to the tuition assistance program that could affect some recipients of TA in significant ways.

The Air Force TA program is a quality-of-life initiative that provides 100 percent of tuition fees for college courses taken by active-duty military members. The program provides up to $4,500 per year, or up to $250 per semester hour for Airmen pursuing a degree.

New this year, beginning with courses that started after Jan. 5, members who receive a failing grade in any class which was paid for with TA funds must repay the tuition in a lump sum. This means students will no longer have the option of monthly payroll deductions to repay for failed courses.

A failing grade is defined by the Air Force as anything below a “C” for undergraduate programs and below a “B” for graduate-level courses.

Also effective Jan. 5, students must have all TA requests approved by their supervisors prior to beginning courses; meaning all classes must be approved prior to midnight of the term start date, or they will be automatically disapproved by the Air Force Virtual Education Center.

“This means students must request MilTA no earlier than 45 calendar days prior to, and no later than seven calendar days before, the term start date,” said Pari Archwarin, 27th Special Operations Force Support Squadron Force Development Flight chief. “It is important that students do not attend classes without an approved MilTA; it is their responsibility to ensure MilTA is approved by their supervisor and the Education Center.”

The MilTA Central Office initiates reimbursement for missing grades after 60 days or if grades cannot be provided due to inaccurate course information on the MilTA documents.

Students will only be eligible for one re-take using MilTA when a course results in reimbursement action. Courses for which reimbursement was waived, either partial or whole, will not be eligible for MilTA if the Airman chooses to retake it.

“MilTA will no longer be approved for pre-requisite courses required for commissioning or graduate studies either, unless included in an approved evaluated degree plan,” Archwarin added.

All MilTA-related notifications are sent via system-generated e-mail; accurate and updated e-mail information is essential.

“Not receiving an e-mail does not qualify students for refunds, waivers or exceptions to policy,” stated Archwarin.

Students should update supervisor contact information as soon as possible in the AFVEC. Supervisors are defined as the person who signs an Airman’s enlisted performance report or officer performance report; if unavailable, an appropriate person within the respective chain-of-command.

“Deployed members must also coordinate with their leadership at deployed locations,” Archwarin continued. “Failure to do so will not be grounds for requesting waivers or exceptions to policy due to any missed suspense dates or notifications.”

All questions or concerns regarding updated MilTA processes can be directed to the Education and Training Office at 575-784-4184.