VA officials optimistic about meeting GI Bill deadline - Education, college, training - Air Force Times

VA officials optimistic about meeting GI Bill deadline

Although an internal Veterans Affairs Department study says meeting the Aug. 1 start day for the Post-9/11 GI Bill is a “high risk” operation, VA officials gave an upbeat report March 25 that they will be ready to accept benefits applications in May and will be ready to make the first payments as fall classes start.

One thing tripped them up, though, as the VA’s top education and information technology officials testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee. Neither had a direct answer to a fairly simple question from Sen. Richard Burr of North Carolina, ranking Republican on the committee and a big supporter of harnessing the power of computers to process veterans’ benefits claims.

Burr wanted to know what would happen if a veteran shows up on campus this fall only to discover the tuition hasn’t been paid. The best answer that VA’s Keith Wilson could give Burr was that a veteran who discovers his tuition hasn’t been paid should call (888) GI-BILL-1 (888-442-4551) to ask for help. Wilson, the VA’s education service director and the person primarily responsible for making sure the new veterans benefits program works, had already said he doesn’t expect a problem-free process.

Burr said he hoped that help would be a payment in “hours, not days” because veterans whose tuition has not been paid could be turned away from classes.

The internal study, done by an outside consultant and finished Feb. 27, assessed the project as “high risk” because of the compressed timetable and the amount of work that needs to be done.

Wilson and Stephen Warren, the acting assistant VA secretary for information and technology, are preparing for about 450,000 people to apply to use the new Post-9/11 GI Bill this fall, a 20 percent jump over the number of people normally filing education benefits claims each year. The new benefits plan will cover the full cost of tuition and fees, and provide a monthly living stipend and book allowance that, for many veterans, will significantly reduce or eliminate out-of-pocket expenses for attending college.

While there is much still to do, Wilson and Warren said the first step of preparations is done: A system has been created to accept electronic applications for benefits. It should be available by late April or early May so VA can start issuing certificates of eligibility. Officials are still working on how the VA will calculate benefits, which will vary by length of service, the school, the number of credits being taken and other factors.

Wilson said VA will rely on manual processing, aided by computers, to manage the claims. He acknowledged there will be errors, but VA hopes to maintain the 96 percent accuracy it has in processing education benefits checks. “We will go to the ends of the earth to make sure we do not make erroneous payments,” Wilson said.

Sen. Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii, the Veterans’ Affairs Committee chairman, said he hopes VA has things figured out.

“All manual and IT systems must be in place and properly functioning so that eligible recipients get their checks on time,” Akaka said. “Failure simply is not an option with this program.”