More than 75,000 students who rely on GI Bill benefits are still waiting for payments or have only received partial payments this semester.
The issue is impacting families across the country, including in the D.C. region, which is home to one of the largest concentrations of military families.
According to the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, or TAPS, delays began in August, when a technology failure disrupted the Department of Veterans Affairs’ new claims processing system. While the problem started before the government shutdown, the shutdown has made matters worse by slowing down the processing of payments and cutting off access to support hotlines.
Jonathan Mackey, a senior at Southeastern Louisiana University and the son of a fallen service member, said he’s been underpaid for months.
“I’ve done what I’m supposed to — been certified, been full time, followed up with my school several times on the issue — yet the shutdown still has been facing months of uncertainty since September. It’s raised financial stress and kind of affects my ability to focus on my education,” Mackey said.
The bill’s Chapter 35 benefits help the spouses and children of service members who are disabled, captured or deceased. For many families, these payments are essential for covering tuition, rent, food and other basic expenses.
While Mackey is from Louisiana, Ashlynne Haycock-Lohmann, the director of government and legislative affairs at TAPS, said the D.C. region is one of the hardest hit by the delays.
She said Northern Virginia is one of the most populous locations for surviving military families in the country.
“With D.C. having one of the highest costs of living in the country, it’s incredibly difficult when students can’t afford to pay rent and bills during such contentious times,” Haycock-Lohmann said.
She said the Arlington, Virginia-based advocacy group has heard from students who are being threatened with eviction and removal from classes due to payments not coming in.
While Chapter 35 recipients are among the hardest hit, advocates say students using other VA education programs, including the Post-9/11 GI Bill and Veteran Readiness and Employment benefits, have also reported payment issues.
In a statement, Pete Kasperowicz, press secretary for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, said Chapter 35 payments are behind schedule due to a switch to a new claims system, a high volume of fall enrollments and what he called the “Democrats’ government shutdown.”
He said students will be paid in full, but it may take until late November or early December to resolve the issue.
Advocates said the delays are making things especially difficult in high-cost areas and are calling for better communication and faster action from the VA.
“We cannot afford to let our surviving families live in a situation where they constantly don’t know if VA is going to pay them. These are benefits are guaranteed. They are appropriated,” Haycock-Lohmann said. “And VA needs to figure out a long-term solution to its technology, because we cannot keep doing this.”
Haycock-Lohmann urged affected students to contact the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors for help filing hardship claims and navigating the system.
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