The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs issued emergency funds for veterans who applied for the Post-9/11 GI Bill and have not yet received their education benefits.
The Post-9/11 GI Bill says veterans who have been on active duty on or after Sept. 11, 2001, are eligible to receive tuition and mandatory fees to a public university, said Don Pugh of the Veterans Resource Center.
"The amount depends on the state," Pugh said, "and there is a percentage based on the individual's time of service."
The bill was approved June 30, 2008, and payments were expected to begin distribution Aug. 1, 2009, said Chuck Rice, Alabama's education liaison representative.
However, as of Oct. 2, more than 25,000 veterans had not received their benefits for the fall 2009 term, Rice said.
Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki approved advanced payments up to $3,000 for veterans who have not yet received benefits from the GI Bill, said Col. Keith Pickens, battalion executive officer.
"If you're counting on this money to pay your tuition, and it hasn't been dispersed to the University yet, and you're getting ready to register for the spring semester, there's a hold on your account until you pay the bill," Pickens said. "At Auburn University, people are going to register this month for their spring classes."
The veterans are forced to cover expenses accrued by the delayed distribution of GI funds, Pickens said.
"$3,000 won't cover a whole semester, but it's $3,000 they won't have to borrow," Pickens said. "Our veterans are feeling like this is a good thing. I'm sure they'd like $6,000, but in some schools $3,000 will almost go all the way."
One of the main reasons for the delay may be transferability.
Under the Post-9/11 GI Bill, veterans who served on or after Sept. 11, 2001, and who have been on active duty for at least 10 years, can transfer the benefits to their spouse, and at 15 years, they can transfer the money to their dependents, Pickens said.
"This is the first GI bill in history that veterans other than disabled veterans could transfer to their dependents," Pickens said.
This is a significant shift from how the government did business with veterans in the past, Pickens said.
Because of the transferability of the bill, many more veterans applied for the benefits, Pickens said.
This volume of eligible applicants led to a backload on the governmental level, he said.
Two governmental departments are responsible for separate parts of the bill. The Department of Defense certifies the veterans' eligibility, while the Department of Veterans Affairs administers the benefits, Pickens said.
"Veterans Affairs can't take action until Department of Defense does what it needs to do, and Department of Defense can't do what it needs to do until the veterans claim their eligibility," Pickens said.
Another reason could be the time tables applied to the bill when it was signed in to law, Pickens said.
"There were some pretty aggressive time tables to kick off a brand new benefit package," Pickens said.
A combination of the volume of eligible applicants and aggressive time frames may have led to a delay in payment, he said.
The emergency funds will eventually be taken out of the total benefits the veteran receives, Pickens said.
"What they're essentially doing here is loaning veterans' money against a payment they will have to make later," Pickens said. "There will be a point in time when they have to disperse the funds, (the veterans) will get $3,000 less."
But once the system is fully in place, additional emergency fund distributions will not necessary.
"As the veterans administration gets its procedures in place to handle this new benefit, there will be no need for that in the future," Pickens said.
The veterans are less concerned about the future deduction, however. They are more concerned about getting immediate payment and registering for classes.
"As a parent, this is a great benefit," Pickens said. "As a tax payer, I'm a little concerned about the bill that has to be paid."
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