Workforce Financial Assistance

This program – known as FANTIC – provides funding for eligible adults who want to obtain an industry-recognized credential or license through an approved workforce training program.

To be eligible, you must:

Be a U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen as defined under Addendum A of the SCHEV domicile guidelines;

If the student is not a U.S. citizen, the institution shall require proof of current legal status.

Be domiciled in the Commonwealth pursuant to the Code of Virginia, § 23.1-502, as determined by the eligible institution

Domicile must be determined at enrollment to establish eligibility for FANTIC.

Have completed high school requirements; or no longer be enrolled in high school and be beyond the age of compulsory secondary school attendance

Proof of age may include a valid state-issued identification card, birth certificate, or passport.

Be in compliance with federal selective service registration requirements

Unless the requirement to register has terminated or become inapplicable to the student, and the student shows by preponderance of the evidence that failure to register was not a knowing and willful failure to register. Registration requirements are for males age 18 to 26.

Compliance can be verified here.

Not be currently enrolled in an associate or bachelor’s degree program

Unless the noncredit program provides training related to the degree program and is necessary to meet a job requirement or advance student’s employment success.

Have submitted a complete application packet

Make sure you complete the application packet designed by the college for this program.

Not be receiving tuition and/or training assistance from any non-state source for the same program

This includes employer assistance; Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act [WIOA] funds; Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program [SNAP] Employment & Training, Virginia Initiative for Employment Not Welfare [VIEW], Virginia’s work program for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families [TANF], and other Virginia Department of Social Services programs; Virginia Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services programs; other federally funded programs) To ensure this is not the case, colleges must ask the student if they are receiving non-state funding (see list above) to support program tuition and fees. If students are not receiving any non-state aid, then they can continue to be considered for FANTIC funding. College staff are not required to determine eligibility for non-state aid.

Demonstrate financial need by:

Providing proof (an eligibility card and letter from the Virginia Department of Social Services) that the student, or the dependent student’s parent, is currently eligible for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and/or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF);

Demonstrating that the student, or the dependent student’s parent has a household adjusted gross income that is 200% or below of the national federal poverty level.

This financial aid will pay for 100% of the first 1/3 of the cost for an approved workforce training program. Qualifying students will need to pay 0 at the time of registration.

Proof of income can be provided using at least one of the following:

Most recent copy of Tax Transcript for IRS; As obtained from here, or,

If the tax transcript is unavailable, satisfactory proof of prior year income, can include copies of wage stubs or W2 forms, bank statements.

If the student’s financial situation has changed within the last year, a letter of appeal may be submitted to the institution to consider the current financial status;

The institution will determine the required documentation, which may include recent pay stubs, proof of job change, bank statements, etc. The college will make the decision for FANTIC eligibility based on submitted appeal and related documentation. The college must maintain a record of the appeal including supporting documentation and written justification for the decision to provide funding or to the decision to deny the appeal.

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