Information for Veterans

Welcome to Lorain County Community College. We are glad you are here and we want to help ensure the most efficient processing of your application for veterans' educational benefits. This material has been assembled as both an information packet and as a "step-by-step" guide in filing for your benefits.

We stand ready to assist you in any way. Should you need assistance, please telephone 800-995-5222 (extension 4032 or 7685) or 440-366-4032 and ask for the Veterans' Certifying Official.

Steps to LCCC's Admission and Registration Process

The Connections Center (located on the first floor of the College Center) at LCCC makes it easy to follow the application steps necessary to enroll in our programs:

1. Apply to the College in the the Connections Center. Fill out an LCCC Application for Admission to receive your student identification number.  
   
2. Request official high school and prior military and/or college transcripts be forwarded directly to Lorain County Community College for formal credit evaluation. Transcript Evaluation Request forms are available in The Connections Center. 
   
3. Complete the LCCC Placement Assessment process through the Compass lab (2nd floor of CC building). This process involves an evaluation of your reading, writing and mathematical skills. You are exempt from this process if: you already have an associate's degree or higher; are a transient student in good standing; your ACT scores are 24 or higher; or your combined SAT scores are 1110 or higher. 
   
4. In order to process your benefits for each semester, you must submit a Veterans Certification request form to the LCCC Veterans Certifying Official along with a copy of your schedule. Please turn these forms in before the term begins. The certification form needs to include the number of credit hours, your degree program, your benefit chapter, and the year and term enrolled with your signature and date.

Download the Veterans Certification Form and mail with a copy of your current schedule to:

Myriam Cordy
Veteran's Certifying Official
Lorain County Community College
1005 Abbe Rd. North
Elyria, Ohio 44035.

You may receive academic counseling with an academic advisor and register for your courses at the Connections Center. There is a team of academic advisors ready to assist students using veteran's benefits. Click here to contact a Veterans' Academic Advisor.

To Receive Your Veteran's Benefits
Applications for Veteran's  benefits are available in The Connections Center (located on the first floor of the college Center, Room 106). Complete a VA FORM 22-1990 - Application of Education Benefits. Please be sure the application is signed and dated.

Submit two certified copies of your DD-214, or two copies of your Notice of Basic Eligibility forms. You may get certified copies of your DD-214 at the Lorain County Administration Building, 224 Middle Ave, Elyria, Ohio, County Recorder's Office. The Notice of Basic Eligibility is available from your Commanding Officer. 

A one-time deferment is available from the LCCC Veteran Certifying Official. Please be aware this money must be paid back to the College when you receive your first monthly monetary award. It is your responsibility to pay your tuition and fees. Please check with your Certifying Official for details.

Please be sure that you have submitted your signed Transcript Evaluation Request form to the Connections Center. This gives the College permission to evaluate your military experience and/or previous college work for applicable transfer credits.

It takes approximately eight to ten weeks for the Departmart of Veteran Affairs to process a new claim. The Certifying Official cannot forward new claims to the Department of Veteran Affairs until the first day of the semester.

Policies Which May Affect Your Certification

1. In order to properly process your certification request, all previous college transcripts and/or military records must be evaluated for appropriate transfer credit prior to certification of benefits, even if the coursework does not apply to your current curriculum. 
   
2. In most cases, you will receive one (1) to three (3) Physical Education credits for your DD-214 and, therefore, we cannot certify you for any additional Physical Education electives over the requirement of your chosen curriculum. 
   
3. The Department of Veteran Affairs requires that your coursework must be credited towards the Associate of Arts or Associate of Science degrees, approved applied degrees and certificates of proficiency. If you are unsure of your goal, you may declare an "Undeclared" curriculum, Veterans Administration will disallow benefits if "Undeclared" is used for more than two (2) terms. 
   
4. You must report any changes in your schedule and supply a copy of your new schedule to the LCCC Veterans Certifying Official. The Department of Veteran Affairs requires that your coursework is applicable to your chosen degree or certificate. Courses that are not applicable to your chosen degree or certificate cannot be certified. You will receive either a written notice or a telephone call informing you that a course(s) cannot be certified. It is your responsibility to respond to the notice. Please allow enough time to process a Schedule Adjustment (Drop/Add), if necessary. 
   
5. Change of degree or certificate Program: A change of degree or certificate program is permitted but must be accompanied by a Change of Program form (available in The Connections Center). This form is forwarded to the Veterans Administration. It is their decision to approve or disapprove the proposed change. Veterans are limited to two (2) changes of program at LCCC. 
   
6. Class Attendance: Failure to attend a class without processing an official withdrawal will result in the Veterans Administration readjusting your training time and monthly benefit.
   
7. Repeating Courses: Department of Veteran Affairs regulations prohibit repeating a course in which a passing grade (a "d" grade or higher) was earned. However, if a "C" grade or better is necessary to progress to the next level (i.e. Nursing Clinicals), the repeated course can be certified. 
   
8. Monthly Monetary Award: It is the responsibility of the Department of Veteran Affairs to determine your eligibility and monthly monetary award. This is not determined by the Lorain County Community College Veterans Certifying Official.  Students who have tuition assistance through Ohio National Guard must take a letter of eligibility from their unit commander to the financial aid office every term. Any questions you may have regarding your eligibility or education benefits should be directed to the Department of Veteran Affairs. You may telephone them at 1-888-442-4551 or 1-800-827-1000.
   Important: VA students are paid on a monthly basis based on current hours enrolled.  Students need to be aware that taking courses in subterms (8 weeks, 5 weeks) may affect their full-time status.  It is the student's responsibility to check this with the Department of Veteran Affairs.
   
9. You are responsible to report to the Department of Veteran Affairs the number of credits you are enrolled in at the end of each month.  you can do this by phone at 1-877-823-2378 or via the Web at http://www.gibill.va.gov/education/. 
   
10. Student Policies and Standards of Progress: The Lorain County Community College catalog policies and regulations apply to all students, including veterans. Department of Veteran Affairs' rules are additional rules which apply to veterans only. Please feel free to discuss your questions with your counselor or academic advisor. 
    
11. In order to continue receiving your Department of Veteran Affairs benefits you must maintain grades as indicated in the Veterans Standards of Progress.

Veterans Standards of Progress

In accordance with the guidelines set forth for school Standards of Progress, students receiving veterans' benefits will be held to the same standards as all other Lorain County Community College students. However, for the purpose of Veterans Administration payments, applicants for Veterans Administration certification with 45 credit hours or greater must have and maintain a grade point average of 2.0 or higher in order to be certified for veterans' payments. Certification for purposes of Department of Veteran Affairs payment require students who have attempted 16 to 29 credit hours (effective Summer term 2004) to maintain a grade point average no less than 1.6. Students who have attempted 30-44 credit hours must maintain a grade point average of 1.75 or greater.

A veteran who fails to earn the minimum overall GPA (as previously noted), will not be certified to receive Veterans' benefits. The only exception to this policy is for previous LCCC students, who were on academic probation but were not using Veteran's Administration benefits, who return to LCCC with intent to use VA benefits. These students must show progress towards the minimum GPA and will be evaluated on a case by case basis.

Veteran Certifying Officials at Lorain County Community College are in constant communication with the Ohio State Approving Agency for Veterans Training in Columbus, Ohio, which monitors the academic progress of veterans applying for certification for the purpose of veteran's benefit payments.

Link to the Veterans Administration

State Approving Agency for Veterans' Training