VA: Severe Weather to Blame for GI Bill Benefits Delay

Last week, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) assured students that they are working diligently to remedy the delays many are experiencing in receiving their GI Bill benefits for the spring semester. According to the VA, the delays for the February 1st checks stemmed from severe weather that forced the closure of their offices for several days last month.

To get caught up, the offices responsible for processing education benefits are working mandatory overtime and expect to be up to date in the next couple of days. Additionally, as weather continues to the threaten the closure of processing offices, VA personnel is being shifted to help distribute the burden. On February 8th, with a storm threatening the closure of the Muskogee Regional Office and National Call Center, the VA posted the following on the Post-9/11 GI Bill Facebook page: "If the office is closed tomorrow, all staff nationwide will be reassigned from answering questions and phone calls to processing claims. We understand you would like to know the status of your benefits, but feel that an 'all hands on deck' operation to process the maximum number of claims is the best way to get as many people as possible their benefits in a timely manner."

Furthermore, if the delayed payment is causing any difficulty or hardship for servicemebers, the VA prepared a letter of explanation to provide creditors, should veterans need it.

For a copy of the letter and more information on the payment processing situation, refer to the VA's announcement: Information Related to Delayed Processing of Spring 2011 Enrollments.

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