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VA Eliminates GI Bill Backlog

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has been working to eliminate the backlog of claims associated with the Post-9/11 GI Bill and according to an article in The Houston Chronicle, this goal has been accomplished. For 2 years the VA has battled the backlog in an effort to prevent it from resembling the veterans disability compensation backlog it is also working to eliminate.

When the Post-9/11 GI Bill initially launched, there were immediate problems, which forced the VA to issue emergency fund checks to veteran-students so they could stay in school. For those using the GI Bill, the U.S. government pays the tuition and fees for veteran-students as well as issuing a stipend to cover housing and books.

In 2 years, there have been almost $13 billion in GI Bill benefits paid out on behalf of almost 600,000 veterans. In the fall semester of 2009, the VA had a backlog of 65,000 claims pending, and it took approximately 60 days to process a single claim. The VA is reporting today there are approximately 23,000 claims pending and the processing time has dropped to 10 days.

When the Post-9/11 GI Bill started, there was no blueprint for how to process the claims. Today, the VA "processes about 10,000 Post-9/11 GI Bill enrollments every day." That progress is attributed to automation taking over for manual paperwork processing, hiring additional staff, and "streamlining" the entire process.

If you are a disabled veteran who has been denied disability compensation or have not yet applied for benefits from the VA, a South Florida disability attorney from LaVan & Neidenberg is ready to help. To learn if you are entitled to certain programs and benefits contact our veterans disability rights firm today - 1-888-234-5758.