American Legion expects VA to correct housing pay snafu

American Legion expects VA to correct housing pay snafu

American Legion National Commander Vincent J. Troiola called on the Department of Veterans Affairs to assure student veterans who have been impacted by missed Post-9/11 GI Bill housing stipends today to “quickly make the situation right and assure veterans that it never occurs again.”

“Veterans understand that when they fail in uniform, the only acceptable responses are ‘no excuses!’ and ‘I’ll correct it!’ This is the type of response that The American Legion expects VA to offer all the students who were expecting their housing stipend today,” Troiola said. “Yesterday, a senior VA official assured us that their inspector general has been notified and the department is working to ensure that electronic payments reach veterans by Monday and checks are mailed out that same day. They are going to conduct a root cause analysis and contact schools to ensure that they are aware of what occurred. VA will also provide letters to veterans to share with creditors. These measures are a good start. The American Legion understands that when mistakes occur, it is the corrective response that is most important. The American Legion has always believed that VA has a responsibility to serve veterans as well as veterans have served this country. We expect VA to quickly correct whatever flawed process led to this error and ensure that veterans are not further inconvenienced by this delayed payment.”