VA struggles with new GI Bill claims load - Navy News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Navy Times

VA struggles with new GI Bill claims load

Mandatory overtime has been ordered for Veterans Affairs Department claims processors working on Post-9/11 GI Bill certifications as the VA digs out from an avalanche of more 277,000 claims.

More people also have been added to answer the VA’s GI Bill hotline, which students complain often has a wait of an hour or longer.

Keith Wilson, chief of the VA’s education service, said he knows delayed tuition payments to schools and late book and living allowances for students have left many veterans disappointed and some very angry.

“We are doing everything we can,” Wilson said.

He cautioned, however, that things may get worse before they get better. VA is taking an average of 34 days to process a claim, with about 2,300 to 2,400 claims being completed each day. As requests for eligibility certification from veterans and separate enrollment certifications from institutions continue to be filed, the time to process claims may temporarily increase.

While more than 277,000 Post-9/11 GI Bill claims have been received, most are requests to certify eligibility of a service member, veteran, or the spouse or child of a service member. Only about 28,000 enrollment certifications have been filed for students actually attending school.

Wilson said he does not know if there is a backlog of enrollment certifications sitting at institutions of higher learning that might account for the big difference. “If anyone is holding on to enrollment certs, I hope they send them forward right away,” he said.

Progress is being made on claims, despite what students and schools might think, he said. Of the 277,000 claims received so far, VA has processed 205,000, Wilson said. That includes payments for living stipends and book allowances to about 13,000 veterans and tuition payments covering about 20,000 students, he said.