Welcome to the UMWA-BCOA Training and Education Fund!

The Fund was established by the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) and the Bituminous Coal Operators of America (BCOA) to provide financial assistance for college, vocational school, or other approved training programs for:

• Unemployed UMWA coal miners
• Dependents (spouses or children) of unemployed UMWA coal miners
• Dependents (spouses or children) of active UMWA coal miners

This assistance is provided so these applicants can get the education and training they need to secure employment. It is available only to applicants who can show that they can succeed – both to complete their education and/or training at an accredited college, vocational school or training program, and to find good and lasting employment.

Who is eligible

A “participant” is an unemployed or an active coal miner who is:

• A member of the UMWA in good standing
• Currently working (active miner) or formerly worked (unemployed miner) for an employer who is participating in the plan.

An unemployed miner must be:

• Unemployed, or
• Working in a job outside the coal industry that pays no more than 85% of the hourly rate for the miner’s last job for a participating employer.

The unemployed miner must:

• Have been involuntarily terminated from his or her job for the participating employer without cause, including layoff, mine closing or work-related disability, and
• Have worked at least five (5) years in classified employment for the participating employer within the ten (10) year period prior to his or her involuntary termination, and
• Apply for benefits no more than ten (10) years after involuntary termination, and
• Be available for work.

Please contact the Fund immediately if your status changes from active to unemployed, or unemployed to active.

Miners receiving a pension from the UMWA 1974 Pension Plan and their spouses or children are not eligible for benefits.

An “applicant” is the student who has been accepted to, or is currently attending, an accredited college, vocational school, or other training program, and is an eligible:

• Unemployed miner, or
• Spouse of an unemployed miner, or
• Child under age 25 of an unemployed miner, or
• Spouse of an active miner, or
• Child under age 25 of an active miner.

The applicant must provide a transcript for the current school year, or the last semester/year attended. He or she must have a grade point average (GPA) of 2.5 or above to be eligible for benefits for the next school year.

Types of Programs Covered

The Fund will provide benefits for academic, vocational, or technical programs. The Fund may provide benefits for remedial training to enhance basic skills necessary for an applicant to complete an appropriate program.

The college, vocational school, or training program must:

• Be accredited, and
• Accept financial aid, and
• Accept tuition benefits from the Fund.

The Fund does not provide benefits for graduate programs, except for unemployed miners under approved circumstances.

Application Process

Every year, the applicant is required to complete and submit an application with required documentation.

Eligible spouses and children of active miners

Please complete the online application. Both the participant and the applicant will need to provide digital signatures and date the application. If they do not want to provide digital signatures, they can download the Participant/Applicant Signature form by clicking on the link below, completing the form, including both signatures, and uploading the form on the application site.

The online application cannot be submitted without either digital signatures or the Participant/Applicant Signature form. The deadline for submitting your completed application for the 2025-2026 school year is May 16, 2025.

The Fund will verify the participant’s employment and UMWA membership based on UMWA records. Active miners no longer need to get the company and local union certification. The participant and/or applicant will be contacted if there are any questions.

All applicants need to provide their latest official transcript to the Fund no later than June 1.  This timetable should allow most applicants to get an official transcript that includes the spring semester. If you are unable to upload your official transcript with your application, you will need to follow this process to upload your official transcript by the deadline:

• Log into your Submittable account when you’re ready to submit your official transcript. Click on this link to easily access your Submittable account.
• Click on the name of your submission.
• Navigate to the Forms tab.
• Under Request forms select Open to complete the Official Transcript form.
• Follow the instructions within the form, and select Submit when you are finished.

If you are using a service which will only email the official transcript directly to the Fund, please send the transcript to admin@tandefund.org or mail to the Fund office.

If the applicant is a high school student and the school year is not complete by June 1, you will need to send the latest official transcript by June 1 and send a final official transcript from the school at the end of the school year.

Eligible unemployed miners and spouses and children of unemployed miners

Please download and complete the print application below and mail the original application to the Fund office.

• Application for an Unemployed Miner
• Application for the Dependent of an Unemployed Miner

The Fund must receive an original copy of the application by the application deadline. The deadline for submitting your application for the 2025-2026 school year is May 16, 2025.

You will need to provide to the Fund no later than June 1:

• Your latest official transcript. If the spring semester or school year is not complete by June 1, you will also need to send a final official transcript from the school at the end of the school year.
• The local union certification form.

A confirmation notice will be sent when the Fund receives your application. The Fund will review your application and will contact you if additional information is needed. If you are eligible for benefits and have submitted all the required information and documents, your application will be submitted to a selection panel for review.

Benefits from the Fund are provided to eligible applicants based on the recommendation and approval of a selection panel. The panel will make its decisions based on the information provided about the:

• Applicant
• College, vocational school or other training program the applicant wishes to attend
• Resources available to the Fund as determined by the Trustees.

An eligible applicant is not guaranteed a benefit from the Fund.

Benefits Provided

The Fund will provide payments for books and tuition only – not for fees, room and board, or other costs.

Applicants must apply for financial aid, at minimum, by completing the FAFSA application to be submitted to their school or training program.

The book benefit is $500 per year and is paid during the first term or semester of the application or school year. The benefit is paid directly to the participant – the unemployed or active miner – even if the applicant/student is the miner’s spouse or child.

The tuition benefit is based on the amount the applicant needs for tuition only:

• After scholarships, grants, and any other aid that the student does not have to pay back is allocated among costs of attendance by the institution or program.
• Before any loans or student/parent payments for tuition.

Please note: Some aid can be applied to costs other than tuition. Talk to your school or training program if you have any questions about how they allocate financial aid. However, the tuition benefit is meant to fill any gap remaining after other financial aid is applied to your costs to attend the school or program. It is not meant to provide excess grant money to be returned to the student.

Each semester or quarter, the Fund will send a verification form to be completed by the financial aid or other appropriate department at the applicant’s school or training program. This form asks the school or training program to:

• Confirm that the applicant is enrolled
• Confirm that the applicant has applied for financial aid
• Provide the amount needed for tuition after other aid has been allocated.

After receiving the verification form from the school, the Fund sends a check to the school or training program for the tuition not covered by other aid. Each year, the Fund will pay a maximum tuition benefit:

• For spouse or child of an active or an unemployed miner:
  • $3,750 per semester for two semesters
  • $2,500 per quarter for three quarters
  • $7,500 for a one-year program
• For an unemployed miner:
  • $5,000 per semester for two semesters
  • $3,333 per quarter for three quarters
  • $10,000 for a one-year program

The Fund does not pay for programs between Fall and Spring semesters, or for summer programs, unless the training program or course of study is a one-year program.

Each applicant can receive book benefits and tuition benefits for a maximum of four years of education or training, or the equivalent:

• Book benefits – four years, one per year
• Tuition benefits:
  • Eight semesters – up to 2 semesters per year
  • Twelve quarters – up to 3 quarters per year

Retroactive Benefits

If the applicant is currently attending college, vocational school or a training program – and did not apply for benefits for the current application year – he or she may be eligible for a retroactive benefit.

A retroactive benefit is available for last semester, or two quarters, attended during the current school year.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Benefits Are Taxable

Because the tuition and book benefits are provided due to the participant’s current or former employment, they are taxable.

The Fund will automatically deduct Social Security and Medicare (FICA) taxes from the tuition and book benefit payments.

Each year, after the applicant’s application is approved by the selection panel, the participant must complete a W-4 form, noting whether they want federal income taxes deducted . Please consider carefully what the impact may be on your income tax liability, especially if you have more than one applicant receiving benefits.

If the participant does not want federal income taxes deducted, they can note “$0” for taxes to be deducted. Download, complete, sign, and date the form and send via mail to the Fund office, email to admin@tandefund.org, or upload to the application site:

• Log into your Submittable account when you’re ready to submit your W-4. Click on this link to easily access your Submittable account.
• Click on the name of your submission.
• Navigate to the Forms tab.
• Under Request forms select Open to complete the 2025 W-4 form.
• Follow the instructions within the form, and select Submit when you are finished.

Benefits cannot be processed until the W-4 form is provided. The participant will receive a W-2 in January for the benefits received during the previous calendar year.

Please make sure that you check the applicant’s tuition balance after you are notified that the tuition benefits have been sent. The applicant may still have a balance due since taxes were deducted from the tuition balance.

Questions?

If you have any questions, please contact the Fund’s Administrator by:

Telephone:
703.445.9630

Email:
admin@tandefund.org

Mail:
UMWA-BCOA Training and Education Fund
18354 Quantico Gateway Drive, Suite 200
Triangle, VA  22172

The Fund is governed by a two-member Board of Trustees. The UMWA appoints one Trustee who serves as the Chairman; this position is currently held by Jerry D. Jones. The BCOA appoints the other Trustee, currently Thomas C. Means. The Fund’s FEIN is 52-1599698.