JB Pritzker, Governor, State of Illinois

Application Procedures for IVG

Interactive Application
Application Confirmation and Acknowledgement
Processing Time
Establishing Eligibility

Interactive Application

The IVG interactive application can be accessed from within the Students & Parents area or directly from the ISAC Student Portal. An applicant can sign into the Student Portal (either as a guest, or if the student already set up a profile and has an account), select Program Applications & Status Checks, and then select “IVG Apply Here”. After carefully reading the instructions and eligibility requirements, the applicant may select the “Start Application” button at the bottom of the page.

The applicant then needs to enter their Personal Information and select “next”. Missing fields will display on the screen and must be completed to proceed to the next page. The next step is to enter the Service Information section. Applicants need to indicate if they are currently serving on active duty and then choose to upload the supporting veteran documentation (DD Form 214 Member-4, residency verification, active duty and medical review board statement, if applicable) with the application or mail the documentation to ISAC. The veteran must provide a copy of their Department of Defense Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty (DD Form 214 Member-4), or its equivalent, for all periods of active service. Contact information is available for Illinois military personnel who need to request a copy of the DD Form 214 Member-4 (or equivalent). An applicant will receive an IVG Notification of Incomplete Application if information is missing.

Illinois residents may apply and begin using their IVG benefits while serving on active duty in the Armed Forces, but must reapply for the grant after separation and include copies of all re-enlistment and/or extension documents. Illinois residency for the purposes of the IVG Program can be established in six months. If the applicant’s DD Form 214 Member-4 does not indicate Illinois residency when entering and/or separating from the Armed Forces, ISAC Rules Section 2733.20 (j) (4) explains in detail the documents that can be used to verify residency for this program.

Application Confirmation and Acknowledgement

Once an online application is completed, the applicant has the opportunity to review their entries then edit or confirm the information (changes cannot be made online, once the application has been submitted). They must click on the box to agree to the terms and conditions certification statement then click on the “Submit Application “ button to transmit application data to ISAC. The applicant then has an opportunity to view the submitted application and is advised to retain a copy of the application for their records. A link to a Portable Document Format (PDF) version of the application also displays which may be printed or saved as an electronic file for the student's records. The PDF must be printed before the applicant exits their browser. A Confirmation Page will display to verify that the data was successfully transmitted with the date it was received by ISAC. Applicants who provide an e-mail address when they apply will be sent an Acknowledgement e-mail (based on the academic year for which they apply) similar to the confirmation page that displays after the application is entered.

Processing Time

Fully completed applications (including all required documentation) must be received at ISAC allowing sufficient time to complete processing prior to the last scheduled day of classes in the term for which a grant is requested. ISAC's processing time is approximately four weeks. However, if the student must obtain required documentation, it could take a minimum of eight to ten weeks.

Establishing Eligibility

Qualified applicants will receive an IVG Notice of Eligibility and Addendum from ISAC. A copy of the Notice of Eligibility should be presented to the college to establish a qualified applicant's initial eligibility. Initial eligibility must be established before a student is eligible to receive benefits. An IVG Notice of Ineligibility will be sent to applicants who do not qualify.