Resources

When a training need is identified as required by Public Law, Executive Order, DoD Directive (to include Occupational Certification & Licensing, as defined in position description as a condition for continued employment) it is a Priority 1 training.  The training should be identified in the current fiscal year’s Civilian Automated Training Input Program (CATNIP) and identified on the Annual Installation Training Plan (AITP). 

The employee will follow the process below:

1.  Create an Education Goal in AFVEC.

         —Select Civilian Functional Training

2.  Once goal is approved by supervisors, create Funding Request in AFVEC.

3.  Once Funding Request is approved in AFVEC from FMY:

• Download approved SF-182 from AFVEC

• Register for training and request invoice

• Create DTS Authorization (Use correct LOA)

4. Once training is complete, upload SF-182 with Section F signed and the Certificate of course completion to the Funding Request in AFVEC.

Note:  Employees and should not register or attend training ANY course using 88751 training funds until SF 182 has been approved by FMY.  

To avoid delays, request training at least 30 days before class start date to ensure funding is committed by payment due date.

Important: Air Force Civilian Tuition Assistance (CIV TA) is only available to Air Force permanent full-time appropriated fund employees, excluding Palace Acquire (PAQ) and Copper Cap (COP) employees, and employees assigned to Acquisition Professional Development Program (APDP) coded positions. However, employees assigned to APDP coded positions seeking coursework at the Doctorate level, are eligible for CIV TA.

·         For additional information on PAQ/COP programs and APDP, reach out to your CFT Point of Contact

·         For additional information on Acquisition Civilian Tuition Assistance (TA), go to the Acquisition Civilian Portal for further guidance: https://www.my.af.mil/gcss-af/USAF/content/edoptuition. 

Note: Students that do not meet the three-year eligibility requirement are eligible for CTAP and should contact their respective CFT, as necessary

·         Civilians employed by the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve must contact their respective Education Office for assistance.

The goal of the CTAP is to assist civilians in their continued self-development and includes coursework at the associate, bachelor’s, master’s (including Juris Doctorate), and doctorate levels at accredited institutions listed in the DoD Voluntary Education Partnership Memorandum of Understanding directory of Participating Institutions. TA is to be used for courses that contribute to occupational and institutional competencies, special interest needs and readiness by supporting the current and future needs of the Air Force. To maximize the availability of funds, AF civilians may request funding for credit-by-exams that will assess college level knowledge via and DANTES Subject Standardized Tests (DSST).

CIV TA Eligibility Requirements

Applicants must:

• Be AF permanent full time (80 hours per pay period) appropriated fund employees, including wage grade. Temporary employees are not eleigible.

• Currently have an acceptable performance appraisal rating (new federal civilian service employees who do not have appraisals on file are exempt from this requirement)

CTAP Rules and Restrictions

• CIV TA is available for two (2) courses per semester / quarter.

• CIV TA can be used for up to 75% of tuition cost, but may not exceed $250.00 per semester hour or $166.00 per quarter hour and $4,500 per fiscal year. CIV TA cannot be used for separate fees associated with a course or other institutional fees. The student is responsible for remaining cost. Note: Eligible Civilian employees who are also AF Reserve military members are limited to $4500 Civilian and Reserve TA combined per fiscal year. The fiscal year cap cannot be waived.

• TA can be used for 100% of credit-by-exam fees at an on-base and/or fully funded testing centers. There is no limitation on the number of credit-by-exam tests.

• TA cannot be used to pay for college certification programs, professional certification fees, charges related to accrediting work or life experiences or the following examination fees: Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT), Graduate Records Examination (GRE), Law School Admission Test (LSAT), Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT), Standard Achievement Test (SAT) or Admissions College Test (ACT)

• TA is not provided, in whole or in part, for courses for which the employee is receiving other federal or state tuition subsidies such as Veterans Administration educational benefits, scholarships or grants, etc., when the payment would constitute a duplication of benefits paid to the institution. However, TA can be used in conjunction with federal student aid loans and grants

• TA funded under CTAP is not an entitlement or condition of employment and past approved TA does not guarantee future funding

• TA funding does not apply to courses at a level lower or equal to a degree already attained by the applying member

Note: Individual(s) with outstanding TA fund reimbursement obligations are denied future TA approval until full reimbursement has been proceeded or waiver has been approved. If there is an error, contact your CFT.

Education Goal Process

Individuals must take the following steps to submit an education goal. APDP Doctorate applicants must contact their CFT Point of Contact to initiate the application process.

1. Register and log-in to the https://afvec.us.af.mil/afvec/ using Google Chrome.

2. Verify profile is current by entering data in all fields. The student must add an official email address and a personal email address for themselves and in the “Supervisor” link in case automated emails are blocked by base networks. This will allow the supervisor to forward the funding request approval email notification and link from the personal email account to the official email account.

3. In order to ensure AFVEC automated email messages are received, student and supervisor must add admin@afaems.us.af.mil to the “Outlook Safe Senders” list located under the Outlook “Home” tab “Junk Email Options”.

4. Select the AFVEC “Institutions” link. A school must have a MOU and be approved for TA. If so, "Civilian TA" or another program that applies to you will be listed under the institution’s “Eligible Funding Programs”. If a degree, course, term, or credit hour rate is not visible in AFVEC, the individual must contact the person listed in the “Institutions” link and ask that it be updated in the Academic Institution (AI) Portal.

5. Select “Virtual Benefits Training” from the left menu to complete the annual CTAP Training.

6. Select “Education Goals” from the left menu and click “Create New Goal”. Attach an official degree plan. It must be signed by an academic advisor or downloaded from the student’s school account and contain student’s name, student ID, degree, required courses and credits, and completed courses and credits. If the institution doesn’t provide the official degree plan at the time of acceptance, attach the acceptance letter and a degree description from the institution’s catalog. Students may not request funding for a third course without an official degree plan.

7. Once a student submits the Goal for approval, they will no longer be able to upload supporting documents to the Goal without CFT assistance. The CFT will approve the degree plan or return it to the student for additional information that the student can attach and return using the AFVEC “Messages” link. Once the degree plan is approved, the student may request TA by clicking on the “Apply for Funding” link.

8. If a student changes goals before a degree is completed, the CFT will deduct from the new goal the number of non-transferable credits that were completed using TA under the original goal. The student is responsible for funding that number of non-transferable TA credits under the new goal.

Direct general questions or concerns regarding CTAP Education Goal process to the appropriate CFT Point of Contact.

• Degree Plan Example

TA Funding Request Process

The following steps must be taken to request Civilian TA, PAQ TA, and Acquisition TA, as applicable. Submit the funding request no earlier than 45 and no later than 7 days before the course start date.

1. Log-in to AFVEC using Google Chrome.

2. Select “Education Goals” from the left menu and click “Apply for Funding”.

3. Create one funding request per term and add a maximum of two courses. Terms cannot overlap.

4. The applicant’s supervisor will receive an AFVEC email notification of TA funding request and must copy the approval link to Google Chrome and certify that all listed qualifying information is correct

5. The CFT will review and approve the TA funding request via AFAEMS after the supervisor concurs.

• If deferred, the student will need to submit additional information.

• If disapproved, TA funding request will be returned to AF civilian via AFVEC.

6. The individual and academic institution are then notified of the approved TA funding request via AFVEC and the AI Portal, respectively. Payment is made after the institution submits an invoice in the AI Portal. The AFPC Financial Management Office will process invoices in order of receipt.

7. The individual must verify that the institution has received the TA funding approval via the AI Portal prior to the institution’s course "drop" suspense date. If the TA approval has not been received, and the individual takes the course without the TA funding approval, the individual is responsible for 100% of the tuition cost. For the most current status of the TA funding, check AFVEC. The individual may download a copy of AF Form 1227 to send to the institution by selecting “Funding Requests” and “Print PDF”.

8. If there are any changes to the TA funding request after submission, it is the responsibility of the applicant to delete the request or notify the appropriate CFT of those changes as soon as they occur (i.e. course change, withdrawal, change in tuition cost, etc.). Failure to do so may result in an obligation to pay back TA to the Air Force.

Note: If course dates are entered incorrectly, the student must delete the funding request and reapply at least 7 days before the class start date. Once a class begins, class start dates cannot be changed. The student must contact the CFT to create a historical funding request.

Successful Course Completion

• Undergraduate Courses: Successful completion requires a grade of C or better and if a grade is below a C, individual must reimburse the AF

• Graduate Courses: Successful completion requires a grade of B or better. If a grade is below a B, individual must reimburse the AF

• If the institution does not post grade in AFVEC within 30 days of the course end date, the student will create an AFVEC message and attach a PDF of the transcript or official letter grade report for manual update

• Grades not reported within 60 days of the course end date are considered missing and the student will be blocked from creating any new TA funding requests

NOTE: For letter grade definitions, refer to the CTAP Frequently Asked Questions

Reimbursements

• If a grade goes unreported beyond 90 days, a reimbursement action will be initiated by the appropriate CFT

• Grades of D, F, N, and U require reimbursement

• Grades of W may require reimbursement and students who withdraw must submit documentation verifying the course, withdrawal date, and tuition charged

• Incomplete Grades (I, X, Y): An Incomplete must be changed to an acceptable grade within 60 days of the course end date. If not, a reimbursement action will be initiated. Any extension of course timelines is between the student and accredited academic institution and may not correspond with the Air Force 60 day requirement.

• In exceptional circumstances, reimbursement may be waived by AFPC in whole or in part, based on acceptable justification.

NOTE: After the CFT processes the reimbursement or waiver action in AFVEC, students may reapply for the same course(s). Students are not required to have paid the debt in full, but must have the repayment plan set up. If not successfully completed on second attempt, CIV TA funds cannot be requested for a third attempt.