Vets may get $3,000 GI Bill check by Oct. 2 - Navy News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Navy Times

Vets may get $3,000 GI Bill check by Oct. 2

Faced with growing criticism from delays in paying GI Bill benefits, Veterans’ Affairs Secretary Eric K. Shinseki has ordered an unprecedented $3,000 one-time payment in advance benefits that could be available as early as Oct. 2.

Exactly where to pick up the checks will depend on unannounced details.

In some cases, checks will be picked up at the nearest VA regional benefits office. In other cases, VA officials will be on the campus of schools that are either far from a regional office or that have a large population of student veterans, VA officials said in a statement.

VA officials are designing a simple verification process. Veterans will need only photo identification and their personal course schedule in order to request a check. The $3,000 represents an advance payment of benefits, and will be deducted from living expenses paid at a later date.

Focus on studying

In announcing the emergency payments, Shinseki said he didn’t want students distracted from their education by delays of six to eight weeks in payment benefits under the Post-9/11 GI Bill.

“Students should be focusing on their studies, not worrying about financial difficulties,” Shinseki said in a statement.

Patrick Dunne, the VA’s undersecretary for benefits, said efforts are being made to get the checks to as many students as possible or to provide group transportation to a veterans benefits office because the VA recognizes “not everyone has a car. Not everyone can walk to a VA benefits office.”

A statement from the VA said after this one-time payment, the department expects monthly living stipend checks to be delivered on time.

The idea for emergency payments has support from Student Veterans of America, a group expected to play a part in organizing transportation and the issuing of checks on campus.

“We are thrilled to see the VA act quickly in response to recent pressure from the student veteran community to remedy problems with the implementation of the Post-9/11 GI Bill,” the group said in a statement.

Still a backlog

Emergency payments don’t eliminate the backlog of claims, with 277,000 received but only about 27,000 veterans paid, the group says, but “it certainly shows that Secretary Shinseki is being responsive and proactive.”

Derek Blumke, the student veterans’ executive director, said the one check should help students in an emergency situation.

“This is an incredible move, a smart move, to make sure veterans don’t have to drop out of school,” he said. “This does not resolve the problems. There is a lot still to do.”

Keith Wilson, director of VA’s education service, said he was unaware of any GI Bill applicants being barred from school for nonpayment of tuition.

Wilson acknowledged, however, that waiting can be hard on students.

For more on GI Bill problems, see how payment delays have been frustrating some veterans.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

Derek Blumke, executive director of Student Veterans of America, and Patrick Campbell, chief legislative counsel of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, have practical advice for students who are short of money while waiting on their GI Bill living stipends:

• Many colleges and universities offer interest-free loans to needy students or have created special loans or grants for veterans, Blumke said. If an institution doesn’t have a loan program for veterans, it might be willing to create one, he added.

• Veterans often are eligible for other financial aid programs, such as Pell Grants. “In my experience, you can get money within about two weeks,” Campbell said. An online application form is at www.fafsa.ed.gov. The financial aid offices at most schools also can help with a Pell Grant application.

Pell Grants, which do not have to be repaid, are based on income and family size. Most student veterans with income of less than $60,000 a year would qualify for some help, and those making $30,000 or less — the value of GI Bill benefits doesn’t count — could receive about $5,000 in aid.