According to the VA, several GI Bill recipients may not have received any payment for their spring classes, even though most students are now either on spring break or have completed their midterms.
The GI Bill website says that they are experiencing "processing delays" related to an internal audit, but give no detailed information on the scope of the audit or offer no solution to those affected by the delays.
According to sources, approximately 11,000 people are affected. That is roughly 1% of total GI Bill recipients. The VA does say the audit is a result of "inquiries to DOD for information about individual training dates and service times". That means that the audit primarily concerns reservists and their eligibility. Apparently the work required to review reservists' eligibility is slowing down the processing of all GI Bill claims..
According to the VA's data sources, approximately 62,000 GI Bill claims are awaiting processing as of March 20, at this time last year 54,000 claims were unprocessed.
The payment delay is affecting the GI Bill tuition & fee payment to schools as well as the housing allowance and book stipend that is paid to veterans.
The VA offers no clue on when processing speed will return to normal, when affected veterans will receive the money they are due, or no solution to cash strapped veterans who may be trying to pay rent or other expenses. A notice on their website tells those affected by the processing delay to call the GI Bill Hotline at 888-442-4551.
