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The Diploma You Left For — And You Pick the School

A veteran of the Second World War, Korea or Vietnam who left a state high school before graduating, and who was honorably discharged, may be awarded a high school diploma. The detail that makes it worth doing: you choose the public school it comes from. It does not have to be the one you walked out of.

Verified August 23, 2026

What this benefit is

What it's worth: A state high school diploma from the public school of the veteran's choice, for a Second World War, Korean or Vietnam era veteran who left school to serve

The office states the programme is for veterans of the Second World War, Korea and Vietnam who received an honorable discharge and do not hold a high school diploma.
The office states the veteran may receive the diploma from the public school of their choice.
The application is the office's own form, headed as an application for a diploma for Second World War, Korean War and Vietnam War era veterans, and is published as a fillable PDF.
The office does not state a fee on the page read.
The office does not state on the page read whether a diploma may be awarded posthumously, or whether the veteran must have attended a school in this state.

Who is entitled to it

Your discharge characterisation is within the range these run on.
You are in this state.

Not sure whether that describes you?

Answer a few questions about this benefit specifically — we only ask what this one actually depends on, and we stop as soon as we know.

How to claim it

1Choose the school before you apply. The office says the diploma comes from the public school of your choice, which most applicants do not realise is theirs to decide — and it matters if the school you left has closed or merged.
2Do this for a parent or grandparent if they will not do it for themselves. Diploma programmes are almost always claimed by a family member who made the call, not by the veteran.
3Use the office's own fillable form rather than approaching a school cold. The office verifies the service and the school issues the diploma; a school asked directly will usually not know the programme exists.
4Have the discharge document ready. The honorable characterisation is the gate the office applies.
5Ask the office directly whether a posthumous award is possible if the veteran has died. The page does not say either way, and other states in this position do allow it — but that is a question for the office, not an assumption.
6Ask whether the veteran had to have attended school in this state. The page is silent on it and it is the condition most likely to decide a borderline case.

Form: Application for a diploma for Second World War, Korean War and Vietnam War era veterans — fillable PDF from the office
File with: The state Office of Veterans Affairs, Montpelier
Documents you will need: dd214
No renewal: Once granted it does not need renewing.

Worth knowingChoosing the issuing school sounds like a formality and is not. Families use it to have the diploma presented at a school that means something to the veteran, or to a grandchild's school, and the ceremony is often the point.

CorrectionThis is era-limited in a way the equivalent programme in some other states is not: the office names the Second World War, Korea and Vietnam. A veteran of a later conflict who left school early is outside it on the page as published.

Known gapNo statutory citation, no fee statement, no posthumous rule and no prior-attendance rule are published on the page read. All four are questions for the office before a family plans a presentation.

Sources

authority · published policyOffice of Veterans Affairs — High School Diplomas for Veterans
operating · published policyOffice of Veterans Affairs — programmes administered by the office

This finder provides an informational match, not a government eligibility determination. The responsible agency decides your application.