Rules & Regulations for Using VA Benefits

Program of Study

Students using VA educational benefits must be enrolled in an approved degree or certificate program and only courses applicable toward the degree or certificate and their prerequisites can be certified for VA payment.

Academic Standards

Students using VA educational benefits will be required to follow all Lane's GPA requirements in accordance with the Academic Standards outlined in this catalog. Each student applying for VA educational benefits will receive a copy of the Standards of Academic Progress for Using VA Benefits at the time of initial certification. These standards apply to all eligible persons using educational benefits administered by the VA.

Grades

The VA pays for all the following grades: "A", "B", "C", "D", "F", and "P". Grades not covered for VA payment are "NC" (formerly a "Y" grade), "NP" (N), and "Audit" (U).

If you receive an Incomplete ("I" ) grade, and the "I" grade is not converted to a letter grade within one year from the last day of the term it was received in, your VA payment will be retroactively reduced back to the first day of the term it was received. You may not re-register for a course you received an "I" grade in for payment (unless a full year has gone by and the VA has already reduced your benefit payment). You must complete an "I" grade on your own.

Unsatisfactory Progress

The Veterans' Administration will be notified if a student fails to meet the minimum standards of academic progress for three consecutive terms, or receives all "F", "NC," or "NP" grades in any one term, in accordance with Lane's procedures for academic standards. In order to have VA educational benefits reinstated after unsatisfactory progress, a student must satisfactorily complete a subsequent term. The student will be reimbursed retroactively by the VA after completion of a successful term.

Schedule Changes, Drops and Adds Within Drop Period

If courses are dropped any time during the first four weeks of the term, the student is paid at the previous rate up to the date the course is dropped.

After Drop Period

The VA allows a student to withdraw up to six credits one time only after the fourth week of the term and assumes that there are mitigating circumstances; hence, benefits will be paid at the previous rate until the date the course(s) is dropped. Outside of this one-time, six-credit exclusion to the "mitigating circumstances" rule, unless mitigating circumstances are submitted and accepted by the VA, any reduction in credit load after the fourth week of the term will result in an overpayment retroactive back to the first day of the term. If there are "mitigating circumstances" involved in the reduction of credits, documentation and a statement by the student must be submitted to the Veterans Office to be forwarded to the VA for determining any overpayment.

Supplemental Information

• Students may not repeat any classes previously passed.
• Students will be paid for only those specific courses required in their declared major and any prerequisites.
• If a passing grade was not received in a program's required course, excluding electives, it can be repeated once again for VA payment.
• In order for a student to take prerequisites for major requirements for VA payment in math and writing, testing results from Testing Services must indicate they are necessary.

Credit Load/Payment

For payment purposes, during a standard term, 12 credits is considered full-time, 9-11 credits is three-quarter-time, 6-8 credits is half-time. If a student registers for less than half-time, the student only receives tuition reimbursement, plus registration fees (not to exceed one-quarter-time) for the entire term. For non-standard terms, VA benefits are paid at an accelerated rate. Contact the Veterans Office for clarification of this policy.