There are important steps that you, the student, and LCN, as the certifying official, need to follow to ensure that you receive your benefits in a timely manner and that you do not receive over-payments that you are required to repay to the Dept. of Veteran Affairs. These steps are as follows:

  • When you apply or renew your benefits, all correspondence with the Federal Agency is with you, the veteran. LCN is not sent copies of your approvals or your certificates of eligibility. If you do not bring these in when you receive them, we will not know that you have benefits available to you.
  • Refer to this website concerning education benefits: https://www.va.gov/
  • Each semester when you enroll, you must:
    • Complete and return the LCN Veteran's Enrollment Certification Form to the Financial Aid office. The blank form will be emailed to you prior to the start of each semester.

If you withdraw, drop, or change credit hours in any way after your initial enrollment, you must contact the LCN Financial Aid office immediately so that we can contact the Dept. of Veterans Affairs to notify them of the change in hours. If this is not done, it can result in an overpayment of your benefits. Depending upon your Chapter benefits, the school may be required to return funds on your behalf, and you become responsible for the payment to the school. Please visit https://va.gov/manage-va-debt/ to manage your debt.

If you have questions regarding the amount of your entitlement, how many months you have left, or other inquiries, please call the Dept. of Veterans Affairs Regional Office at 1-888-442-4551. The school does not have access to this information.

If required by your Chapter enrollment, you will self-certify each month that you are enrolled in college at the Web Automated Verification of Enrollment (WAVE) https://www.gibill.va.gov/wave/index.do.

COMPARE THE PROGRAMS

If you are eligible for another benefit program as well as the Post-9/11 GI Bill® (Chapter 33), you should review the side-by-side comparison of benefits under each program. https://benefits.va.gov/GIBILL/comparison_chart.asp. While each individual's situation is different, this may help you determine which of the programs provide the most benefit for your individual situation. You should now have enough information to decide whether you want to apply for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® or another benefit program. Remember, if you give up another program to receive the Post-9/11 GI Bill®, it is an irrevocable choice - this means that once you have selected the Post-9/11 GI Bill®, you cannot switch back to the program you gave up. At this time, you also will have to determine which school you will apply to for enrollment. https://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill/school_decision.asp

NOTE: GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government website at https://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill

CONTACT INFORMATION

LCN Veteran's Certifying Official
Tammy Garza 217-709-0928 tgarza@lakeviewcol.edu

LCN Director of Financial Aid & Veteran's Education Benefits
Janet Ingargiola 217-709-0930  jingarg@lakeviewcol.edu
For the Online Brochure of Federal Benefits for Veterans, Dependents and Survivors 2018 Edition: https://www.va.gov/opa/publications/benefits_book.asp

AT VETERAN'S ADMINISTRATION - PHONE NUMBERS

  • Dept. of Veteran Affairs Regional Office 1-888-442-4551
  • Monthly Enrollment Certification 1-877-823-2378
  • General Information other VA Benefits 1-800-827-1000
  • POW/MIA Certification 217-782-3564  or 217-782-6641
  • Call Center: The Department of Veterans Affairs Education Call Center open for telephone calls Monday through Friday during normal business hours from 7:00 am to 8:00 pm Central Standard Time 1-800-827-1000

AT STATE OF ILLINOIS

Veteran's Illinois Contact https://www.va.gov/directory/guide/state.asp?State=IL&dnum=ALL


WEB PAGES FOR VETERANS AND/OR THEIR SPOUSE/DEPENDENTS