Furloughed counselors, closed services delaying Chapter 35 benefits.
The government shutdown is impacting student veterans and their dependents seeking to use GI Bill benefits to pursue higher education, and The American Legion and other veterans service organizations are concerned about the effect delayed payments will have on those students.
Among the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs services closed due to the shutdown are Ask.va, a web communication tool that allows veterans and their dependents to contact the VA; the GI Bill Hotline, the most commonly used tool for student veterans to communicate with the VA; and the School Certifying Officials (SCO) Hotline, without which Chapter 35 dependents cannot be certified for benefits. Military students utilizing the Tuition Assistance program are now at an impasse with the lack of new approvals or support in any kind for the program.
Through Chapter 35, the survivors of deceased servicemembers and the dependents of 100% disabled veterans receive a monthly housing stipend rather than tuition payments to offset the cost of college, vocational and trade schools. These students are also unable to utilize career and vocational counseling that is afforded to them through Chapter 35.
Veteran Readiness & Employment (VR&E) counselors have also been furloughed due to the shutdown, which means no new veterans can enroll in the program, no assistance is available for participants, and students cannot reenroll for the next semester or make changes to their schedule.
VA press secretary Peter Kasperowicz told Stars & Stripes that implementation of a new claims management system was delaying Chapter 35 payments. He said it could take until late November or early December to resolve that issue, but that claims were being handled manually in the meantime.
The American Legion is urging the VA to develop a post-shutdown plan to effectively and efficiently catch up on missed paperwork to ensure there is no further lapse in benefits for veterans and their dependents.
Stay up to date as the shutdown continues at legion.org.
- Education