Kilmer Visits Student Veterans at UW Tacoma for Update on GI Bill Housing Stipend Delays
Veterans nationwide facing late payments, financial difficulties because of “severe critical errors” within the VA’s computer system
TACOMA, WASH. –This afternoon, Representative Derek Kilmer (D-WA) visited the UW Tacoma Veteran and Military Services Midterm Study Break for an update from student veterans including some who have not received their GI Bill benefits because of problems within the VA’s benefits distribution system.
“If you serve our country, the government should have your back.” Kilmer said. “There’s no excuse for the delay in GI Bill payments. It’s time for Washington, DC to step up for America’s student veterans, who should be worried about acing their midterms, not whether they can make rent.”
A VA computer glitch has caused at least 340,000 veterans nationwide to miss out on a housing stipend increase Kilmer supported last year as part of the Forever GI Bill. More than 140,000 student-veterans have filed claims to recover missed payments, a 50-percent increase from last year.
Last week, The Kitsap Sun reported students at Olympic College haven’t been able to buy books because of the failure, and they are worried about paying bills as the issue lingers.
Thomas DiGiorgio, President, Student Veterans at UW Tacoma said, “The impact of the VA delay has placed student veterans and their families into difficult financial situations. We look forward to the quick repayment and resolution of these administrative issues.”
According to NBC News, the payments are late because of a glitch in the software the VA uses to calculate GI Bill payments. It has forced some veterans to choose between paying the bills and buying food.
The VA’s error comes as it fails to implement a new policy that changed housing stipends for veterans who receive them from the Forever GI Bill. Kilmer supported the bill in Congress. It was signed into law in August of 2017, and Congress gave the VA a year to implement the change.
NBC News reported the VA’s computer system encountered “severe critical errors” as the administration rolled out the housing stipend changes. The errors caused some student veterans to receive too much money and many more student veterans to receive no funds at all.
A group of 15 veterans organizations including Student Veterans of America, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America called the botched rollout an “organizational and customer service failure at the highest level.”
While it tries to fix the problem, the VA has reverted to 2017’s housing stipend rates, which means that veterans are receiving less money than they anticipated when they leased student housing, selected a school, or bought books. The VA has said it does not know how many veterans are affected or when the problem will be fixed, though it is aiming for the end of the year.
The issue is affecting veterans across the country. According to reporting on the issue, 12,000 New York City student veterans could face eviction because of the glitch. The House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs will hold a hearing on the issue on November 14.