GI Bill Repayments for Student Veterans Delayed
Dec 30, 2019
Legal Help for Veterans is a law firm helping veterans get the benefits they deserve.
Northville, MI (Law Firm Newswire) December 30, 2019 – Officials from the Department of Veterans Affairs announced that money owed to tens of thousands of student veterans would further be delayed and likely paid in the summer of 2020. The money is repayment of housing stipends that were less than what the veterans were entitled to under the GI Bill while they were attending college.
During the initial implementation of aspects of the Forever GI Bill in the fall of 2018, nearly 400,000 student veteran housing allowance payments were incorrectly processed. Changes to the formula used to determine the size of a housing stipend are partially to blame.
“It is unfortunate that these veterans will have to wait even longer to see the money that they are owed. Especially when some already have had their studies and lives interrupted as a result of the VA’s errors,” said James G. Fausone, lead attorney at Legal Help for Veterans in Northville, Michigan. This is just the latest in a string of accusations that the agency has recently mishandled payments to beneficiaries and the personal information of veterans.
Under the new GI Bill, housing stipends are closely related to the basic living housing allowances given to members of the military when they are living on or near a military base. Student veterans attending schools with satellite campuses were shorted because payments were being calculated based on the primary school.
For example, a student who attends the University of San Francisco would have received more than $4,000 a month for housing under the former GI Bill guidelines. A student attending the University of San Francisco campus in Sacramento would receive only a bit more than $2,000 a month.
Student veterans whose housing stipends will be reduced in future semesters are being prepared for the changes. Those who were previously affected in 2018 will be reimbursed eventually, though the VA has announced no deadline for such action.
Legal Help for Veterans is a veteran-run law firm specifically for veterans with VA disability claims.
For more information, contact Fausone online at https://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/.
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC
41700 West Six Mile Road, Suite 101
Northville, MI 48168
Toll Free Phone: 800.693.4800
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