Veterans Benefits and Certification
Building 1, Room 201, 541-463-5663, www.lanecc.edu/costs-admission/paying-college/veterans-education-certification-information or email VAEdBenefits@lanecc.edu
Programs at Lane Community College are approved by the Oregon Department of Veterans Affairs as a qualified training institution for students eligible for VA education benefits. Applications for VA educational benefits and enrollment certifications are processed through the VA Regional Office in Muskogee, OK; 1-888-442-4551 or https://benefits.va.gov/gibill
Eligibility rules - VA education benefits are complex and students may have choices to make to determine which benefit chapter they wish to utilize. Those who qualify for benefits need to submit an application to the VA at https://www.va.gov/education/how-to-apply to obtain their certificate of eligibility. Students may qualify for more than one VA benefit chapter but can only be certified for one at a time. For more information, contact the LCC veterans' office at VAEdBenefits@lanecc.edu
Credit load/payment - For payment purposes during a standard term, 12 credits is considered full-time. A credit load less than 12 credits is prorated at the rate determined by the VA benefit chapter the student is receiving. For non-standard terms (summer) or courses that do not follow the standard term length, the actual dates of the course are reported to the VA.
Program of Study - Students using VA education benefits must be enrolled in an approved degree or certificate program and only courses applicable towards the program can be certified to the VA.
Academic Progress Standards - Academic Progress Standards are listed in this catalog and are provided to new students upon the initial establishment of their VA file at LCC. Students are required to demonstrate satisfactory academic progress each term they use VA benefits at LCC. Federal law requires benefits to be suspended if a student does not demonstrate satisfactory progress. If a student does not meet academic standards in any term, they will be placed on VA academic probation. If a student does not meet minimum academic standards in more than 2 terms and their LCC cumulative GPA is below 2.0 or their LCC pass rate is below 67%, the VA will be notified of unsatisfactory progress and their ability to use benefits at LCC will be suspended per federal law. A student will need to utilize alternative funding sources while they work to improve their GPA and pass rate to minimum academic standards. After a student improves their GPA and pass rate to minimum standards, they can communicate with the VA School Certifying Official to discuss the conditions for the student's continued certification to VA. These conditions will prescribe the minimum performance standards to be achieved by the student during the next enrollment/evaluation period.
Schedule changes, drops, and adds - Students using VA benefits must report all schedule changes made after a term planner has been submitted. Schedule changes may impact a student's VA reimbursement, particularly those occurring after the term's refund period (first week of the term). Students should communicate with the LCC Veterans Benefits Office before making schedule changes, drops, or adds to determine the possible impact on education benefits.
Important Veteran Benefit Information
Course applicability - Only courses satisfying program requirements (or prerequisites) outlined in a student's curriculum guide or graduation evaluation form can be certified to the VA. If a student takes a course that does not fulfill a program requirement, it cannot be certified to the VA. Excessive electives, for example, that are not needed to fulfill a student's program requirements, cannot be certified. Courses that do not satisfy a LCC program requirement or meet VA rules are the student's responsibility. In order for prerequisite remedial courses to be certified to the VA for program requirements in math, English, and writing, testing results from the LCC Testing Office must indicate they are necessary. Students needing remedial courses (below 100 level) must enroll in the on-campus version (not online) in order to receive VA benefits for these classes.
Repeating courses - Classes that are successfully completed may not be certified again for VA purposes if they are repeated and do not satisfy a program graduation requirement. However, if a student fails a class or if a program requires a higher grade than the one achieved, that course may be repeated.
Program changes - Students utilizing VA benefits must keep their program of pursuit current on their LCC account. The program a student declares is reported to the VA every term they use benefits.
Grades - Individual grades are not reported to the VA but non-punitive (No Pass, Audit) grades are reported. Students receiving these grades at the end of the term will have an amended certification processed with the VA. This will result in a benefit adjustment by the VA. Completed classes receiving a grade of P (Pass) must satisfy a program completion requirement. If the P grade does not fulfill a program graduation requirement, the VA will be notified and their benefits will be adjusted. Students are encouraged to complete all classes with a A-F grade to avoid possible VA debts.
Program planners - All students wanting to use VA education benefits at LCC must submit a completed term planner to the Veterans Benefits Office each term: https://lanecccentral.etrieve.cloud/#/form/177. To ensure course applicability and compliance with VA regulations, each term before classes are certified, the student's term planner will be compared to the requirements of the program they have declared. Only those classes required for successful program completion will be certified with the VA. Students are encouraged to communicate with Academic Advising prior to registering for any classes to ensure they are applicable and required for the program they are pursuing. Term planners should be submitted as soon as possible after registration to ensure timely processing and avoid delayed receipt of VA benefits. Registration changes after a planner is submitted will require the student to submit a new planner.
Certification - New VA students are required to complete intake forms with the LCC Veterans Benefits Office to establish their file at the college. These forms must be completed before an enrollment certification is processed to the VA. This initial establishment of your file includes the student providing official transcripts from all prior schools where college credit has been earned and submitting a VA certificate of eligibility.
Students should receive email and/or standard mail communication from the VA after they their enrollment has been reported to the VA. Students should review the certification communication and notify the LCC Veterans Benefits Office if a discrepancy is identified. Initially, only credits are reported to the VA. Tuition and fees are reported to the VA after the term's drop with refund period. Students using CH 33 benefits should see the VA funds credited to their LCC account before the end of week 7 of the term.
VA payments - VA students should monitor their school's financial account on a regular basis. Failure to monitor and inquire about unpaid charges may result in late fees or the inability to register for upcoming terms.
In accordance with 38 USC 3679(e), Lane's policy is to not impose any penalty, including the assessment of late fees, the denial of access to classes, libraries, or other institutional facilities, or the requirement that a covered individual borrow additional funds because of the individual's inability to meet his or her financial obligations to the institution due to the delayed disbursement funding from the VA under Chapter 31 or 33. If this should occur, please contact the Veterans Benefits Office so that any discrepancies can be resolved.
VA and financial aid payments operate within different time periods. Students should not assume when the VA will make payments to them personally, when funds will be applied to their school account, or when financial aid refunds will be dispersed. Students receiving financial aid in conjunction with VA benefits will not receive financial aid refunds until their LCC account is paid in full. Unforeseen circumstances may occur which could delay when the VA payment is received. Students should monitor their VA account to see when payments are scheduled for deposit to their personal bank account.
Prior credits (transcripts) - Students using VA benefits at LCC who have received college credits at other schools, using VA benefits or not, must provide official transcripts from those schools before their first certification is processed to the VA. Joint Services Transcripts will be requested by LCC personnel. Air Force veterans will need to request their military transcript from the Community College of the Air Force. These transcripts ensure prior awarded credit can be reviewed and applied towards their LCC program to shorten program completion time and avoid taking unnecessary classes.
Lane email - Communication with VA students by email is done through the student's school email account. Students should periodically view their school email to ensure they do not miss important communication related to their VA benefits.