Policies Which May Affect Your Certification

To properly process a certification request, all previous college transcripts and/or military records must be evaluated for appropriate transfer credit prior to certification of benefits.

In most cases, credit for prior learning for one to three physical education credits will be awarded to veterans upon receipt of the Joint Services Transcript or Air University Transcript (formerly Community College of the Air Force). Please check with our Prior Learning Coordinator for more information on the implementation of this process. Additional physical education elective credits over the requirement of the chosen curriculum cannot be certified, unless they are fulfilling a degree completion requirement.

The Department of Veterans Affairs requires that coursework must be credited towards the Bachelor of Applied Science, Associate of Arts or Associate of Science degrees, approved applied degrees (A.A.B and A.A.S), one-year and short-term technical certificates. Per VA policy, general certificates are not approved for education benefits. Some stipulations may apply.  If educational goals are unclear, the student should consider declaring the Associate of Arts or Associate of Science degree. Students using GI Bill®  benefits must select degrees or certificates that are listed on the Department of Veterans Affairs WEAMS list.

The student must contact LCCC's School Certifying Officials to report any schedule changes. Changes to your schedule may incur financial responsibilities or result in a change of funding from VA; additionally, you may be financially responsible to the College should courses taken not be approved or required for your program. The Department of Veterans Affairs requires that coursework is applicable to the chosen degree or certificate. Courses that are not applicable to the chosen degree or certificate cannot be certified. The student will receive either a written notice via email or a telephone call when a course(s) cannot be certified. It is the student’s responsibility to respond to the notice. Please allow enough time to process a schedule adjustment (drop/add), if necessary.

Change of Degree or Certificate Program

A change of degree or certificate program is permitted in accordance with College policies (see Program of Study section). Students must contact Enrollment Services or Records (records@lorainccc.edu) to change their program of study. Requests about change of program must come from students’ LCCC email account to verify student identity. VA does allow for the pursuit of dual degrees as long as each degree or certificate is approved for funding.

Class Attendance

The class instructor will report the commencement of student class attendance after the census date of the class session. In a distance education context, documenting that a student has logged into an online class is not sufficient, by itself, to demonstrate academic attendance. The class instructor must demonstrate that a student participated in class or was otherwise engaged in an academically related activity, such as by contributing to an online discussion or initiating contact with a faculty member to ask a course-related question. The class instructor determines what constitutes commencement of attendance and will record the policy in the class syllabus. 

If a student enrolls in a class and is reported as not attending by the class instructor, the student will be automatically dropped from the class. This may result in a debt to the student from VA for any overpayments.

Remedial Online Courses

VA will not pay for any developmental classes that are taken via distance learning or by web conference. Ex:  MTHM 057 or ENGL 061.

Repeating Courses & FAW Grades

VA 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.

Students that receive the midterm grade of FAW (Failure Administrative Withdrawal) demonstrated insufficient pursuit of course completion.  FAWs are punitive grades that will be calculated into GPA. Your last date of attendance or midterm grade date, per the academic calendar, will be reported to VA, and you may incur a debt as you are no longer attending that course. It may also affect your term course load as you may not be officially enrolled in full time status. Note: FAW grades are reported by your course instructor and will be reported to VA as such. The Veterans Office team has no recourse to alter or dictate these dates.

Certificate of Eligibility & Verifying Enrollment (MGIB, MGIB-SR, & Post 9/11)

It is the responsibility of the VA to determine eligibility and monthly monetary award. This is not determined by the Lorain County Community College School Certifying Official. It is also the responsibility of the student to know what their financial obligation is to LCCC if their educational benefits do not completely cover tuition and fees. Students using GI Bill® Educational Benefits may provide LCCC a copy of their Certificate of Eligibility, but it is not required. This document outlines the benefit chapter and percentage of eligibility to which a student is entitled. Any questions regarding eligibility or education benefits should be directed to the Department of Veterans Affairs Educational Hotline at (888) 442-4551. Only VA determines eligibility. 

Important: VA students are paid on a monthly basis based on current hours enrolled per month. Students should be aware that taking courses in sub terms (ex: eight-weeks, five-weeks) may affect full-time status. It is the student’s responsibility to check with VA to verify enrollment status.

The student receiving veteran's educational benefits under Post 9/11 Ch. 33 and MGIB Chapters 30 or 1606 must verify their current status at the end of each month by contacting the VA. Failure to do so will keep the veteran student from receiving their benefits. Chapter 35 (dependents/spouse) students may be required to self-verify course attendance. Please refer to VA official communications for current requirements.

Student Policies and Standards of Progress

The Lorain County Community College Catalog policies and regulations apply to all students, including veterans and military-connected students. Department of Veterans Affairs rules are additional rules which apply to GI Bill® recipients only. Your assigned academic advisor is available to answer any questions.

To continue receiving VA benefits, grades must be maintained as indicated in the Veterans’ Standards of Progress.

Military Students Called to Active Duty

LCCC recognizes that military students may have unique challenges if they are still serving on an active or reserve basis. Military students enrolled in courses must communicate their absence to their Instructor, Academic Advisor and Certifying Official prior to activation to ensure they are not dropped from their courses. Military students who are enrolled in the current semester who get called to active duty can petition for an administrative withdrawal with 100 percent tuition refund by providing the appropriate documentation to the Vice President of Enrollment Management and Student Services. Military students who get called to active duty near the end of the semester might consider pursuing an incomplete with their faculty member to finish the course on a timeline established by both the student and the Instructor. For VA, incomplete contracts must be completed within one year or you will incur a debt.

Return of Unearned TA Funds to the Government

Return of Tuition Assistance: Military Tuition Assistance (TA) is awarded to a student under the assumption that the student will attend school for the entire period for which the assistance is awarded. When a student withdraws, the student may no longer be eligible for the full amount of TA funds originally awarded.

To comply with the Department of Defense (DoD) policy, Lorain County Community College will return any unearned TA funds on a prorated basis through at least the 60% portion of the period for which the funds were provided. TA funds are earned proportionally during an enrollment period, with unearned funds returned based upon when a student stops attending. These funds are returned directly to the military service branch. See LCCC website for the Schedule of Returning Unearned TA to the Government.

In instances when a service member stops attending due to a military service obligation, LCCC will work with the affected service member to identify potential solutions.

Section 103 of the Veterans Benefits and Transition Act of 2018 

Lorain County Community College will not impose any penalty, including the assessment of late fees, being dropped from classes, access to libraries or other institutional facilities, or the requirement that a Chapter 31 or Chapter 33 recipient borrow additional funds to cover the individual’s inability to meet the student's financial obligations to the institution due to the delayed disbursement of a payment by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

The Johnny Isakson and David P. Roe, M.D. Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act of 2020

Section 1010

Section 1010 of P.L. 116-315 states that as of August 1, 2021, Post 9/11 GI Bill ® students shall be required to verify their attendance with the VA on a monthly basis each semester. Failure to do so for two consecutive months will result in the suspension of the students' Housing Allowance until the student verifies their attendance.

Please note that under Section 1010, School Certifying Officials must complete a second certification after the course begins for all Post 9/11 students. This is to ensure a student is still attending a course they registered for and has not been issued funds for a class they are not attending. 

Section 1018

In accordance with section 1018 of P.L. 116-315, schools must provide a covered individual (student using benefits under chapters 30, 31, 32, 33, or 35 of title 38, U.S.C., or chapter 1606 of title 10, U.S.C.) with a personalized shopping sheet that contains: estimated cost of course including tuition, fees, books, supplies, additional costs; estimated cost of living expenses; amount of costs above that are covered by VA benefits; other types of Federal financial aid, not administered by VA that is offered by the institution, that individual may be qualified to receive; estimated amount of student loan debt the individual would have upon graduation; graduation rates; job-placement rates for graduates; information about transfer credits including military credits; additional requirements including training, experience, or examinations required to obtain license, certification, or approval for which the course of education prepares the individual; and other information to facilitate comparison by individual about aid packages offered by different educational institutions.

Section 1019

In accordance with section 1019 of P.L. 116-315, Post 9/11 GI Bill ® students shall no longer be responsible for the repayment of funds sent to Lorain County Community College by the VA, should a debt be created, regardless of its cause. However, should a debt be created with Lorain County Community College as a result of the return of these funds to the VA, the student shall be responsible for that debt's payment. Failure to pay the debt in a timely manner may result in the student’s inability to enroll in future courses: continued refusal to pay the debt may result in it being sent to the Attorney General's office for collections.

House Bill 569 Ohio Hidden Heroes Scholarship

HB569 authorizes state higher education institutions to voluntarily provide scholarship opportunities to students who are caregivers of veterans who have a 100% service-connected disability.

Lorain County Community College (LCCC) offers many scholarships available to veterans, military service members, and military spouses and dependents.  LCCC is extending criteria for our scholarships to include caretakers of veterans with 100% disabilities.  If you are interested in attending LCCC, please reach out to Veterans and Military Services at (440) 366-7388 for more information.