GI Bill Payments Delayed to 55,000 Vets

GI Bill Payments Delayed to 55,000 Vets
February 09, 2011
Virginian-Pilot
NORFOLK -- The Department of Veterans Affairs is blaming bad weather for a paperwork backlog that's left tens of thousands of college students without their February GI Bill money, and it says some may not see their payments for another week or so.

About 300,000 veterans across the United States will receive tuition money and housing assistance this semester under the Post-9/11 GI Bill. Their February payments were supposed to be deposited into their bank accounts by the first of the month, but so far only about 245,000 students have been paid, according to the VA.

That means about 55,000 -- including many in Hampton Roads -- are still waiting.

"It's been really tough," said Titian Maples, a pre-med student at Old Dominion University who served five years in the Navy. "When the government says the money is going to be there and then it's not, it doesn't leave you a lot of options, especially when you're in school and you're living paycheck-to-paycheck."

She said she began calling the VA last week to ask why her payment didn't arrive, and no one could give her answers.

The VA now says January snow storms are behind the delay.
read more here
GI Bill Payments Delayed to 55,000 Vets