Bloggers Persuade VA to Cut Emergency GI Bill Checks

By Terry Howell

In an unprecedented response to the hardships caused by delayed Post-9/11 GI Bill benefit payments, the VA decided to make emergency payments of up to $3,000 to veterans who are still waiting for their benefits to kick in.

Based on the timing of the VA announcement, it appears the emergency payments are a direct response to an issue surfaced during the VA’s first ‘Bloggers Roundtable’ last week. During the meeting, Assistant VA Secretary Tammy Duckworth and Deputy Director of Education Services, Lynn Nelson were asked what the VA is going to do about the financial hardships veterans are experiencing due to not receiving their benefits. You could have heard a pin drop as neither was able to provide an answer.

But within 24 hours of the blogger event, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs announced the emergency benefit payment plan. The VA was obviously compelled by the blogger’s questions and personalized examples of hardship.

According to the VA press release, eligible students will be able go to one of VA’s 57 regional benefit offices with a photo ID and a course schedule to request advance payment of their housing and book allowance starting Oct. 2, 2009.

Since many students are not located near VA Regional Offices, VA is planning to send representatives to schools with large Veteran-student populations and work with Veteran Service Organizations to help students with transportation needs.

A list of VA regional offices is available at www.vba.va.gov/VBA/benefits/offices.asp.

As with anything the Federal Government attempts, the emergency payment process will be far from simple. Here are a couple of things to be aware of as the VA works out the payment details:

• The emergency payment process is a work in progress. 
• The VA plans to provide updated application/payment information as soon as possible.
• VA is still examining alternative options for delivering the emergency payments.

The VA's willingness to cut emergency payments (advances on benefits) is very encouraging and shows a new direction for VA's relationship with the veteran community.

Check out the Emergency Advance Payment FAQs to learn more.

See what veterans are saying about the effects of the GI Bill benefit delays.

Read the official VA Press Release posted on Military.com.

New Bill to Help 30k Previously Ignored Guardsmen

As many may know, Post-9/11 GI Bill eligibility for members of the National Guard is based on the nature of their active duty time. For many Guardsmen, this means time spent on active duty under “state” orders under title 32 does not count, while active duty service under “federal orders” - title 10 - do. In many instances Guardsmen activated under title 32 orders were supporting home land security missions.

To help rectify this inequity, Congressman Dave Loebsack (D-Iowa) introduced the National Guard Education Equality Act, a bipartisan bill that will help over 30,000 members of the National Guard receive their full education benefits.

“The benefits under the landmark Post 9/11 GI Bill are a reflection of our gratitude to those who have served our country since the 9/11 attacks and will help make this generation of veterans part of our nation’s economic recovery.” said Congressman Loebsack. “Unfortunately, due to a technical glitch, over 30,000 members of the National Guard are not receiving the benefits that they have earned. This bill recognizes the service of the Soldiers and Airmen of the National Guard by including all of their active duty service in the calculation of their GI Bill benefits.

Read the full article on Military.com.

Visit the Military.com Legislative Center to contact your elected officials about this important bill.

GI Bill Update: New MGIB Rates, Delays, and More...

By Terry Howell

This Week's Latest GI Bill News

MGIB Rates Increased - The VA released the Montgomery GI Bill payment rates for the 2009-2010 academic year. The rates will be increased by less than 4 percent - growing from $1321 a month for a full time student to $1368 - on October 1, 2009. Not a huge increase, but it is more than it would have been in the past since the increases are now based on the actual tuition and fee increases rather than inflation, which is zero so far in 2009. Students should see the increase in their November MGIB payment.

Updated Post-9/11 Tuition Rates - VA has updated the Tuition and Fee rates. Students attending school in Massachusetts will now get up to $330 per credit hour. This has been increased from $71.

VA Workload Backlog - The VA's backlog of GI Bill "work items," which includes 67,000 unprocessed Post-9/11 GI Bill claims, grew to over 276,000.  Some vets are reporting they have been told to expect up to 20 week delays.

A recent Associated Press article reports that many veterans are beginning to receive their housing stipend checks. (Read the full article) The article also tells of continuing delays. Many personal examples of delays, errors, and successful claims processing can be found in the comments posted on this blog in the last week. Some veterans are now reporting delays in their Montgomery GI Bill claims due to the VA's back log.

Get more than $49,000 a year for school. Request info about GI Bill approved programs from military and veteran-friendly schools and start earning your degree today.

GI Bill Resources:

• VA GI Bill Website (Official VA Resources)
• Military.com Guide to Using Your GI Bill Benefits
• Guide to Choosing the Right GI Bill
• Military.com GI Bill Calculator