Veteran Services

All students can apply for financial aid by filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). This aid can be for grants, loans, and/or work-study. 

Many types of scholarships are available based on merit or academics, as well as private and general scholarships by area of interest. Some scholarships are specifically for Veterans. Visit the Financial Aid Scholarships and the Aims Foundation Scholarships pages to learn more. Check with your advisor to be sure your scholarship works well with your Veteran's education benefits.

Aims has over 200 accredited degrees and certificates to choose from.

Your Pathway advisor will help you develop a suitable educational plan, select your courses and determine your major. This person will get to know you and help you gain decision-making skills you will use in your education, career and life choices. Be sure to visit Workday Resources to complete your VA Certification form.

• GI Bill Comparison Tool: Allows comparisons between the different benefit chapters below.
• CH 33: Post 9/11 GI Bill
• CH 35: Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational Assistance (DEA)
• CH 31: Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E)
• CH 30: Montgomery GI Bill (Active Duty)
• CH 1606: Montgomery GI Bill (Selected Reserve)

Aims Counseling Services

Aims students can receive short-term confidential counseling sessions with a licensed therapist through Aims Community College. If you’re struggling with anxiety, stress management, grief and loss, relational conflict, depression, coping strategies, parenting issues or life transitions, we encourage you to contact the counseling team at counseling@aims.edu.

VA Counseling and Connection

Many Veterans enter college and university life directly out of the military. This is a significant life transition, and most people need time to adjust to the new setting, culture, and experiences of campus life. This transition is more difficult for some Veterans than for others. They may need more help with physical or mental health issues or with the practical aspects of transitioning to this new environment. That’s where VITAL can help.

The Veterans Integration to Academic Leadership (VITAL) program strives to enhance academic retention and success through:

On-campus clinical care and coordination

• Improving understanding of Veterans' unique strengths and challenges through education and training delivered to the campus community.
• Collaborating with the local VA medical center, the Veterans Benefits Administration, campus faculty and staff members, and community resources

Aims Community College has a VITAL representative, Maura Rickart LCSW, who is available on Aims campus Tuesdays in the Care office in the Student Commons, Greeley Campus. Or you can reach Maura at maura.rickart@va.gov to set an appointment.

We encourage you to attend Arty's Orientation, which will connect you with the key Aims personnel who can help you successfully start your academic path. Registration is online through your myAims.

You put on an excellent orientation for us veterans; far more information than I ever got in my two semesters at my previous school. Thank you for going that extra mile.  ~ Dan Black, veteran student

GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U. S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).  More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U. S. Government website at benefits.va.gov/gibill. 

• Veterans Affairs Website: This is the VA's website where military-connected individuals can find their Certificate of Eligibility (COE) for education
• benefits. If you need access to local VA health care or other community resources for support, check out the links below. 
• Military OneSource: Provides confidential help related to military-connected families and relationships, financial and legal, health and wellness, education and employment and deployment transition.
• Make the Connection: Provides veterans with a way to get connected to a variety of helpful resources for themselves and their families.
• Loveland VA Clinic: 5200 Hahns Peak Dr., Loveland, CO 80538
• Northern Colorado VA Clinic: 4575 Byrd Dr., Loveland, CO 80538
• Cheyenne VA Medical Center: 2360 East Pershing Blvd., Cheyenne, WY 82001
   

VA Medical Center Cheyenne (VAMC)

Main phone: (307) 778-7550

Location: 2360 E. Pershing Boulevard. Cheyenne, WY 82001

VA Health Connect: (833) 983-0484

Mental Health Support: (307) 778-7349

At the Cheyenne VA Health Care System, our expert health care teams focus on your needs and the needs of other Veterans, your families, and caregivers. Find a healthcare facility near you and manage your health online. Sign up for community events and updates.

VA Regional Office Denver

Address: 155 Van Gordon St, Lakewood, CO 80228

Phone: (800) 827-1000

Hours: 

• Monday - Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.  
• Saturday - Sunday: Closed

We help Veterans, service members, and their families access VA benefits and services Benefits we can help with include disability compensation, education benefits, life insurance, pensions, and home loans.

Employment Services of Weld County, Veteran Readiness and Employment

Address: 315 N 11th Ave Building B, Greeley, CO 80631

Hours: 

• Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.  
• Saturday - Sunday: Closed

Phone: (970) 353-3800

Disabled Veterans Outreach Program Specialist: Tim Marquart

Phone: (970) 353-3800, Ext. 6769

Employment Services of Weld County (ESWC) is a comprehensive workforce center that connects resources for employment, education, and training services. ESWC offers these services at the local, state, and national levels and prides itself in offering self-service resources, promotion of personal and career development, furnishing access to internet tools for employment and training opportunities, and providing information about both local and regional employers, as well as other labor markets.

VA Vet Center: Larimer and Weld 

Address: 702 West Drake Road, Building C Fort Collins, CO 80526-5520

Hours: 

• Monday 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. 
• Tuesday 8:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. 
• Wednesday 8:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. 
• Thursday 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. 
• Friday 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. 
• Saturday 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. 
• Sunday Closed

Phone: (970) 221-5176

We offer confidential help for Veterans, service members, and their families at no cost in a non-medical setting. Our services include counseling for needs such as depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and the psychological effects of military sexual trauma (MST). We can also connect you with more support in VA and your community.

Volunteers of America (VOA) Colorado Branch | Qualified Listeners

Address: 3732 Kunz Ct, Fort Collins, CO 80526 

VOA “Back Home SSVF” Phone: (970) 204-1903

Qualified Listeners Phone: (720) 600-0860

Our listening Program is confidential and non-judgmental. Combat Veterans listening to Combat Veterans to help prevent suicide is what Qualified Listeners was originally based on and it remains our #1 focus. However, we’ve learned that families of Veterans also need someone to talk to. We’re working hard to meet these needs.

The Back Home SSVF Program is a Housing-First program designed to deliver case management, temporary financial assistance, and other support services (such as employment/education assistance) to Veteran families.

Northern Colorado VA Outpatient Clinic

Address: 4575 Byrd Dr, Loveland, CO 80538

Phone: (970) 593-3300

Hours: 

• Monday - Friday, 7:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. 
• Saturday and Sunday, Closed

VA Health Connect represents the options available to help you access your health care (for example, rescheduling appointments, prescription needs, or speaking to a nurse) each time you dial your local VA facility number. We apologize for the inconvenience and the delays in answering calls from Veterans, caregivers and family members. We are working to resolve this issue.

Weld County Veteran's Services

Phone: (970) 400-3444

Location: 315 N. 11th Ave, Building B, Greeley, CO 80631

Hours: 

• Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.  
• Saturday - Sunday: Closed

Email: VeteransServiceOffice@weld.gov

The Weld County Veterans Service Office assists veterans and their dependents in applying for service-connected disability, non-service-connected pension, burial & survival benefits, educational benefits, and health care from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Aims Community College has a local Student Veterans of America (SVA) chapter aligned with our student club, “Warriors to Scholars.” The Warriors to Scholars SVA chapter at Aims works to provide opportunities for student veterans to meet and socialize with other students in the Colorado area, get involved in campus life, and make the most of their Aims experience while giving back to the community. 

Being a part of this chapter provides opportunities to network in the local community, travel to conferences, and participate in student-veteran events on and off campus. 

For more information, please contact sva.chapter@aims.edu.

SALUTE is the only national honor society in the nation recognizing and honoring the service and the scholastic achievements of this generation's greatest veterans. The purpose of the SALUTE National Scholarship Program is to provide financial assistance to veterans, or active service members. The selection process focuses on Service, Academics, Leadership, Unity, Tribute, and Excellence. It is in a 4-tier system, designed to encourage student veterans to strive to improve their GPAs and advance to higher tier levels (and scholarship brackets) in the honor society during their academic careers.

Each chapter symbolizes the collective achievement of veterans bettering themselves through the pursuit of knowledge and our commitment to honor those among us who are the tip of the spear across the nation.  

For more information, please contact sva.chapter@aims.edu.