Michigan State Approving Agency (SAA)

The Michigan State Approving Agency (SAA) is located within the Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity - Workforce Development of the State of Michigan.  The SAA is responsible for approving applicable facilities to provide training under the GI Bill®.

The Mission

The mission of the Michigan State Approving Agency is to approve education/training facilities and related programs for Veterans and Other Eligible Dependents throughout the State of Michigan. These approvals enable the utilization of GI Bill® educational benefits (Chapters 30, 33, 35, 1606) at Michigan’s educational and training facilities.

Michigan has more than 700 approved educational institutions, apprenticeship training, and on-the-job training sites which offer educational and training programs to Military Personnel, Veterans, and Other Eligible Dependents.

The responsibilities assigned to the Michigan SAA include:

• Inspecting, evaluating and approving applicable facilities and/or courses of education provided at colleges and universities, certificate granting institutions, apprenticeship programs, on-the-job training (OJT), vocational flight schools as well as licensing and examination agencies for Veterans, and Other Eligible Dependents throughout the State of Michigan under the provisions of Chapter 36, Title 38, and Title 106, United States Code (USC) and the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR).
• The SAA is also responsible for the continued monitoring of whether a school, facility or testing agency, once approved,  remains in compliance with the requirements of their initial approval.

Program Information

Types of Program Approvals

Initial Approval
Initial approval may involve the approval of one or more programs at a new, previously unapproved institution. It may also involve the approval of a new, previously unapproved program at a currently approved institution. While SAA approval is program specific, many of the approval criteria (e.g., probationary policy, disciplinary policy and grading system, etc.) are institutional in nature, applying to more than one program. At many schools, all or most of the currently offered programs are approved, leading us to use interchangeably the terms “institutional approval” and “program approval.” What we are actually doing is approving programs and the institutional policies that underlie them.

Approval Process
Prior to applying, the school/employer/sponsor must identify a point of contact, this individual will serve as the schools primary certifying official(s). The Certifying Official will be the liaison with the Michigan SAA and the VA. The Certifying Official is the only school/facility representative who may endorse VA certificates for the purpose of GI Bill® educational benefits, and is responsible for keeping the beneficiaries’ training file current.

Steps in the approval process:

• The school/employer/sponsor creates an account at (website) and completes the online application (all except flight schools).
• The Michigan SAA will review the application to determine if approval criteria have been met.
• Upon completion of the approval process, the school/employer/sponsor is notified, and copies of the approval letter and application materials are sent to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for approval concurrence. The VA must comply with the MI SAA prior to final approval, additional information may be required to complete the approval process.
• The VA will advise the Michigan SAA and school/employer/sponsor of VA concurrence by issuance of VA Form 22-1998 via email.
• Upon receipt of VA concurrence, the school/employer/sponsor will an email with several approval documents and will be required to complete an online training program prior to being granted access certify eligible beneficiaries for their GI Bill® educational benefits.

Role of the School / Employer / Sponsor

The School Certifying Official will serve as the liaison with the Michigan State Approving Agency and VA. The Certifying Official is the only school/facility representative who may endorse VA forms or web-based certifications for the purposes of GI Bill® educational benefits; further, the Certifying Official is responsible for keeping the beneficiaries’ training file current.

This person notifies the Michigan SAA of any changes that have an effect on the State approval and VA concurrence. Examples of such changes include, but are not limited to:

• Changes of school accreditation, ownership, branches, academic offerings, or licensing.
• Changes to policies or content of catalog or school bulletin.
• Changes in modality of course instruction.
• Changes to the Journeyman/finish wage scale.
• Changes in address, phone number, etc.
• Additions or deletions of occupational trades.
• Changes to apprenticeship standards.
• Changes in training outlines.
• Changes in certifying official(s).

Program Categories

Michigan State Approving Agency Contact Information

If you have any questions, please contact the Michigan State Approving Agency at LEO-MISAA@michigan.gov.

Mailing Address:

State of Michigan
Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity - Workforce Development
State Approving Agency
201 N. Washington Square, 3rd Floor
Lansing, MI 48913
Email: LEO-MISAA@Michigan.gov

"GI Bill®” is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).