Lake Michigan College

Interested individuals must meet with the Certifying Official, with their discharge documents, to apply for VA education benefits.

Veterans Affairs Educational Benefits
Application for Benefits
If you are a full- or part-time, potential recipient of Department of Veterans Affairs educational benefits, you must apply for admission to Lake Michigan College and indicate your chosen associate’s degree program of study. High school transcripts and/or GED scores, all post secondary school transcripts, and discharge documents must be forwarded to the Admissions Office for evaluation.

Advanced Payment Check Requests
Upon your request, the Veterans Affairs Advisor will process a request for an advance payment check for the first two months’ benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs. If you want an advance payment check, contact the Veterans Affairs Advisor at least 60 days prior to the start of a term.

Reporting of Changes
The Department of Veterans Affairs requires that, if you are receiving educational benefits, you immediately report any change in credit hour load, dependency status, address, or program of study to the Veterans Affairs Advisor.

Satisfactory Progress Standing for VA Benefits
The Michigan State Approving Agency and the Department of Veterans Affairs require Lake Michigan College to establish academic progress standards for veterans and other eligible persons in order to receive Veterans Affairs educational benefits. Satisfactory academic progress is of primary concern. As an educational benefit recipient, you are considered to be making satisfactory progress if your cumulative grade point average (GPA) is 2.00 or above.

Academic Probation for VA Benefits
If, as a Veterans Affairs educational benefit recipient, your Lake Michigan College GPA drops below 2.00, you will be placed on academic probation. During the probationary period, you may continue to receive educational benefits; however, probationary status may not exceed two terms. At the end of the probationary period, if your cumulative GPA still does not meet the minimum graduation requirement of 2.00 or better, a report of unsatisfactory progress will be sent to the Department of Veterans Affairs and you will stop receiving benefits. Certification for further educational benefits will not be submitted until your cumulative GPA reaches 2.00.

If you want your certification for educational benefits reinstated, you are required to submit a written statement to the Veterans Affairs Advisor, which will be forwarded to the Department of Veterans Affairs. This statement must include an explanation of how the cause of your unsatisfactory progress has been corrected.

For more information, contact the certifying official for VA educational benefits:

Napier Avenue Campus
Location: D-201a
Hours: M-F, 8am - 4pm, or by appointment
Phone: (269) 927-8100 ext. 5008