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Can I Get An Advance On My GI Bill?

January 11th, 2010
by Ron Kness
Question:
Can I get an advance on my GI Bill? — Cedric

 Answer:
If you have applied for GI Bill education benefits for the Fall 2009 school term, and have yet to receive a payment, yes you can. Depending on which GI Bill you qualify for, and at what level of payment you are authorized, you can get as much as $3,000. Just keep in mind that it is a one-time payment and the money you get now will be deducted from future payments. It is not extra money; you are just getting it now instead of later.  

Ever since the New GI Bill started in August, the VA has been behind in processing GI Bill payments. You can visit the VA’s Advance Pay Website  for more information and to apply online. You will have to first register and then log into the website.  You should receive a check from the U.S Treasury with in a week of submission.

As an alternative, you can go to one of the VA Regional Offices , apply in person and receive an immediate payment. Be sure and bring your photo ID and your course schedule with you.

Some veterans are experiencing problems when trying to cash the hand-written check at a bank.  If that is your case, have your bank call 1-800-827-2166 and the VA will verify that it is a legitimate check. Hand-written government checks are indeed rare and I understand why banks are being wary.

The VA hired over 700 new people to help with the backlog and as soon as these people are trained, and the processing procedures streamlined, they should eliminate the backlog and be able to keep to a schedule.

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Posted in New GI Bill, Veterans Education Benefits | 8 Comments »

8 Responses to “Can I Get An Advance On My GI Bill?”

  1. Mark says:
    January 12, 2010 at 3:54 pm

    I applied for advance pay on the website two weeks ago and have yet to receive a check.

  2. GIBillExpert_Kness says:
    January 16, 2010 at 3:58 pm

    Hi Mark. On 12 Jan 2010, the VA discontinued the advance payment through their website. the verbage is:
    ************************************************************************************
    Posted on January 12, 2010

    Advance Payment Website Discontinued

    The Emergency Advance Payment checks made available for the Fall term are currently unavailable through the website. You may still request a one-time Advance Payment for the Fall term of up to $3000 from any of our Regional Offices. Please note Advance Payment checks are not available for active duty members or dependents.
    As a reminder, to receive Advance Payment for the Fall term, you must have:

    •Verified identification
    •Verified service
    •Proof of school enrollment for the Fall 2009 Term only
    •Not previously received an Advance Payment
    ***************************************************************************
    My advice is like they say – request an advance payment through one of the VA Regional Offices. You can find the office servicing your area at: http://www.vba.va.gov/VBA/benefits/offices.asp. Sorry!

  3. Charissa says:
    January 20, 2010 at 12:54 pm

    My husband applied for his on 01/08/2010 and received his on 01/11/2010. So I am not sure why you havent received your yet. I applied on the 01/10/2010 but havent received mine either. It was before the website went down.

  4. easy piano says:
    January 29, 2010 at 8:20 pm

    easy piano…

    Hello ;) Thanks heaps for this indeed!… if anyone else has anything, it would be much appreciated. Great website Super Piano Links http://www.en.Grand-Pianos.org Enjoy!…

  5. Alisha says:
    January 31, 2010 at 11:09 pm

    I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don’t know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.

    Alisha

    http://pay-dayadvance.net

  6. GIBillExpert_Kness says:
    February 1, 2010 at 8:08 am

    Thanks Alisha for the kind comment. I try to write meaningful information that servicemembers and veterans alike can use. There is a lot of confusion out there and if I can help clear up some of it, then I have accomplished my mission.

  7. Ron Kness says:
    February 16, 2010 at 7:46 am

    Glad I could help. Thanks!

  8. angi says:
    July 18, 2010 at 3:22 am

    I don’t think Alisha was being sincere about her interest in this blog. I think she was (nicely) spamming you to post her paydayadvance link.

    So, here is my question.. if going from working full time to being a full time college student, you would expect to be able to sustain your life on the housing stipend without having to continue to work, just concentrate on school. If the VA doesn’t pay you until 60 days after you start your semester, how are you supposed to live off of this money? Who is going to be able to work full time and attend classes that are scatterd about the week? Any suggestions?

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