Veterans and active duty military personnel are considered automatically independent for federal need analysis purposes. However, the Veterans Administration and the US Department of Education use a different definition of veteran, leading to some confusion. The definition of active duty also excludes active duty for training or attendance at a service school or, in many cases, members of the National Guard or Reserves.
The definition of veteran for Federal student aid purposes is not necessarily the same as the definition of veteran for VA purposes. This can lead to potential problems, since the FAFSA processor performs a data match with Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) records to confirm a student's veteran status.
Section 480(d)(3) of the HEA indicates that a student is considered to be an independent student if he or she is a veteran of the US Armed Forces, which is defined in Section 480(c)(1) to mean any individual who:
- has engaged in the active duty in the United States Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, or Coast Guard; and
- was released under a condition other than dishonorable.
- "Honorable"
- "Under Honorable Conditions (General)"
- "Under Other Than Honorable Conditions"
- "Bad Conduct"
- "Dishonorable"
- "Uncharacterized"
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