Vets awaiting GI Bill turn to loans, parents
COCONUT CREEK (AP) – Brandon Thomas was hit by shrapnel from a rocket-propelled grenade and twice grazed by bullets fired by the Taliban during his final tour with the Army in Afghanistan.
After risking his life, the 27-year-old father and Purple Heart recipient is one of thousands of veterans who now say they are waiting weeks or months for education benefits under a newly fattened GI Bill, leaving many to scrape up money from family or take loans to cover college costs while the Department of Veterans Affairs pledges to speed up payments.
The Post 9/11 GI Bill is the most significant expansion of education benefits since the original GI Bill in 1944. Eligible veterans receive payments for tuition, housing and a book stipend. The VA says more than 50,000 veterans and their relatives have given notice that they’re enrolled in college for the fall semester and hoping to be reimbursed under the program, which started making payments in August.
Thomas submitted his paperwork to the VA in July, but he’s still waiting for the first check to arrive. When he bought nearly $1,000 in books this semester, Thomas billed it to a credit card.
“What was the alternative?” said Thomas, who is studying business.
In the military, there is a phrase often repeated among troops: “Hurry up and wait.” Hurry up and get to the training field. Hurry up and get to the shooting range. And then, wait for what can seem like an eternity for anything to begin.
Veterans are now finding themselves repeating that phrase as they go to apply for their GI Bill benefits.
“We’re a patient group of people,” Thomas said. “Patience only goes so long.”
According to the VA, 277,403 claims have been filed for benefits under the Post 9/11 GI Bill. Some 205,704 claims have been processed and the rest are pending. The average processing time is 34 days, up from 28 a month before.
“We’re continuing to work hard and we’re not going to stop until this process is smooth for everybody,” Keith Wilson, director of the VA’s Education Service division, said in an interview with The Associated Press.
Veterans must complete two steps to receive payment: First, the VA must confirm that they are eligible: 189,597 of these claims have been processed, and another 60,071 are pending.
Second, veterans must obtain a certificate of enrollment, which confirms their college attendance. This is done through their school and VA.