As the certifying official, there are important steps that the student and LCN must follow to ensure that benefits are received on time and students are not overpaid and required to repay to the Department of Veteran Affairs. These steps are as follows:

  • Applying or renewing benefits, all correspondence with the Federal Agency is with the student/the veteran. LCN is not sent copies of approvals or certificates of eligibility. Please submit all eligibility correspondence to financial aid.
  • Refer to this website concerning education benefits: https://www.va.gov/education
  • Each semester the student must:
    • Complete and return the LCN Veteran's Enrollment Certification Form to the Financial Aid office. The blank form will be emailed to the student before starting each semester.

If a student withdraws, drops, or changes credit hours after initial enrollment, contact the LCN Financial Aid office immediately so that we can contact the Deptartment of Veterans Affairs to notify them of the change in hours. This change can result in an overpayment of entitled benefits if this is not done. Depending upon Chapter benefits, the school may be required to return funds on the student’s behalf, and the student becomes responsible for paying the school. Please visit https://va.gov/manage-va-debt/ to manage debt.

If you have any questions regarding the amount of entitled benefits, remaining months of benefits, 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 Chapter enrollment is required, the student will self-certify college enrollment monthly via the Web Automated Verification of Enrollment (WAVE) https://www.gibill.va.gov/wave/index.do.

COMPARE THE PROGRAMS

If a student is eligible for another benefit program and the Post-9/11 GI Bill® (Chapter 33), 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 determine which programs provides the most benefit whether you want to apply for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® or another benefit program. Remember, giving up another program to receive the Post-9/11 GI Bill®, is an irrevocable choice - this means that once a decision is made to select the Post-9/11 GI Bill®, it cannot be switched back to the previous program. At this time, a college must be selected 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@lcn.edu

LCN Director of Financial Aid & Veteran's Education Benefits
Janet Ingargiola 217-709-0930  jingarg@lcn.edu
For the Online Brochure of Federal Benefits for Veterans, Dependents and Survivors 2021 Edition: https://www.va.gov/opa/publications/benefits_book.asp

THE 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 is 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 THE 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