Who may apply?

• Students must meet the California Residency requirements as determined by the college they will attend.
• Students who meet the requirements of at least one of the following plans

CalVet Fee Waiver plans you can apply under:

Plan A: The spouse, unmarried child, or unmarried surviving spouse of a veteran who is totally service-connected disabled (rating must have occurred prior to the child's 21st birthday) or who has died of service-related causes, may qualify. The veteran must have served during a period of war declared by Congress, or been awarded a Campaign or Expeditionary Medal. This program does not have an income limit. A child must be under 27 years of age to receive the fee waiver benefit. The age limit is extended to 30 years of age if the child is a veteran. There are no age limits for a spouse, unmarried surviving spouse or RDP. *NOTE: A dependent cannot receive this benefit if they are in receipt of VA Chapter 35 benefits.

Plan B: The child (no age limit) of a veteran who has a service-connected disability, or had a service-connected disability at the time of death, or who died of service-related causes, may also qualify for a waiver. The child's income, which includes the student's received from a parent, cannot exceed the state poverty level as published by the Franchise Tax Board on December 31st of last year. *NOTE: This figure changes annually. To obtain the applicable state poverty level, Click here. In cases where the DVS 40 reports $0 AGI & $0 Value of Support, a certified statement must be completed which explains how the student affords to attend college and supports themselves.

CalVet Fee Waiver Required Documents

• This application must be fully completed and signed by the student and the veteran. If veteran is unable to sign, parent/ veteran spouse must complete the VSD-021 form.
• A child, under PLAN B, must submit either a student-copy of their federal income tax form 1040 or state income tax form 540, from "Last Year". OR if a child did not file a return, they must submit Non-filing Letter from the Internal Revenue Service (Click Here) or the Franchise Tax Board (Click Here).
• If you are a child of a veteran, you must attach a Verification of Dependency. Acceptable verifications include government-issued birth certificates, adoption records, and marriage certificates. Those seeking status as an Adopted Child or as a Stepchild must have entered into such status prior to the child's 23rd birthday.
• Student must show proof of veteran's Veteran Administration Service-Connected Disability award letter. (Ed Code § 66025.3(a)(2)(A))
• A child, step-child, spouse, or surviving spouse under PLAN A:
  • Wartime service required. The veteran must have served at least one day of active duty during a period of war as declared by the U.S. Congress, or during any time in which the veteran was awarded a campaign or expeditionary medal. Verify via DD 214 (Member 4)

Need help obtaining the Veteran’s Service-Connected Disability Letter?
Click here.

You are required to submit all the documents listed above.

Our office will no longer accept documents that state "On File".

Attending two colleges?

You will need to fill out an application for each college you are attending.

Required Document Notice:

Applicants may no longer submit a document that states "On File".

• Applicants applying to two schools will need to submit required documents with each application.
• Failure to receive required documents will lead to denial of application.
• Applicants denied because of missing required documents will be asked to resubmit a new application with correct documents.
• If you are submitting images, please make sure that the images are clear and easy to read.
  • Images that are out of focus, blurry, unreadable, etc will be denied.

Each file upload field can accept up to 5 documents.

• For example applicant has taken pictures of page 1 and 2 of the IRS 1040 form; the applicant will submit both pictures (2 file uploads) into the file upload field under the Tax Document section.

I hereby certify under penalties of perjury that the information contained in this application and supporting documents is given for the purpose of obtaining educational benefits and is true, correct, and complete. I authorize the California Department of Veterans Affairs (CalVet) employees, officers, and designees to verify these documents. I hereby authorize the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Defense, Internal Revenue Service, and the Franchise Tax Board, to release information regarding my service-connected disability rating and/or income to CalVet with the understanding that the department will keep such information confidential.

I hereby authorize the release of my CalVet College Fee Waiver Program for Veterans Dependents award letter to the College or University for which I am applying. I understand that educational benefits may be denied or found to be my responsibility to repay if any information is found to be false, intentionally incomplete, or misleading.

To learn more about the benefits you have earned.

Visit: www.cacvso.org or www.calvet.ca.gov

Privacy Notification

Act of 1977 (Civil Code Section 1798.17) and the Federal Privacy Act (Public Law 93-579) require that this notice be provided when collecting personal information from individuals. Information requested on this form is voluntary and will be used for the purposes of identification and to determine eligibility for benefits under the provisions of Education Code Section 66025.3. The program is administered by: Deputy Secretary, Veterans Services Division, 1227 "O" Street, Sacramento, CA 95814. Failure to provide requested information will result in the delay or denial of benefits. Individuals may review available personal records during normal business hours.

Appeals of Denied Benefits

Appeals of denied benefits shall be filed with the Veterans Services Division (note address above) and must be in writing, stating the reasons the benefits should be granted, and filed within 90 days after the date of the "letter of denial."

Notification of Application Submission and Processing Updates

After clicking submit, you (the student) will be notified by email via CalVet Fee Waiver (noreply@salesforce.com) that our office has received your submission. If this email is not part of your contacts, you will need to check your spam folder and add our email to your contacts for future updates.

Applications are processed in the order they are received.

It can take up to 15 business days to process your CalVet Fee Waiver application.

You will receive a notification email after our office has finished processing your application. Please allow for the full 15 days before reaching out for an update, as inquiries within this timeframe will receive the same response—your application is still being processed.