Washington, DC – U.S. Rep. John Hall (D-Dover), Chairman of the House Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs, called on the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) today to change its practice requiring Hudson Valley veterans to travel to lower Manhattan to collect emergency education benefits. Hall is asking the VA to direct deposit the payments into veterans' checking or saving accounts like the VA does with other veterans' benefits.

 

"Requiring veterans to travel from their homes to a Regional Office in order to receive their benefit creates an onerous and unnecessary burden," Congressman Hall wrote in a letter to Patrick Dunne, the VA's Under Secretary for Benefits. "These veterans have already applied for the education benefit, and are in the VBA's system. The fastest method to deliver these emergency checks would be via direct deposit to their bank accounts, the same way all other VBA benefits are distributed to eligible veterans. If necessary, the VBA could require that veterans fax in appropriate documentation, allowing the funds to be released."

 

Thousands of student veterans are still waiting for GI Bill educational benefits that they have applied for but have not yet received a government payment for. Last week, VA Secretary Eric Shinseki announced that the VA has authorized checks for up to $3,000 for these students who are still waiting. Starting October 2, students can go to one of VA's regional benefit offices with a  photo ID, a course schedule and an eligibility certificate to request advance payment of their housing and book allowance. The closest regional benefit office for the Hudson Valley is located at 245 W Houston St. in downtown Manhattan. For an Orange County Community College student traveling from Middletown, the roundtrip cost to pick up their education benefits would be $35 and take over 4 hours and 30 minutes. For a Marist College student traveling from Poughkeepsie, the roundtrip cost to pick up their education benefits would be more than $45 and take over 4 hours and 15 minutes. The New York regional benefit office is open 8:30am to 4:00pm Monday to Friday.

 

"I applaud the VA and Secretary Shinseki for taking steps to rectify this problem and get student veterans the checks they have earned," said Congressman Hall. "But quite frankly it is ridiculous and unreasonable to make Hudson Valley veterans spend almost five hours and hard earned money traveling all the way to lower Manhattan when the VA already has a direct deposit system in place to distribute benefits. Getting to lower Manhattan during the hours the VA's office is open means students will have to skip work or class. This is an unnecessary hassle and we should do everything possible to help these veterans get the education they need to succeed after they have served our country so honorably."

 

The full text of Congressman Hall's letter to the Department of Veterans Affairs is below.

 

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September 29, 2009

The Honorable Patrick W. Dunne
Under Secretary for Benefits
Department of Veterans Affairs
810 Vermont Ave., N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20420

 

Under Secretary Dunne:

 

As you know, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has had difficulties processing the applications for the more than 277,000 veterans who have applied for the groundbreaking Post-9/11 GI Bill. Many veterans have not yet received their benefits, and as a result have been unable to enroll in their chosen school. I applaud the VA’s efforts to rectify this problem, but there is still more to be done.

 

The current emergency plan put in place by Secretary Shinseki would require veterans to travel to the nearest Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) Regional Office. After presenting identification and a course schedule, they would be issued a check of up to $3,000. The Secretary also rightly asked the VBA to send representatives to colleges and universities that served a significant number of veterans, but are too far from a Regional Office.

 

Requiring veterans to travel from their homes to a Regional Office in order to receive their benefit creates an onerous and unnecessary burden. These veterans have already applied for the education benefit, and are in the VBA’s system. The fastest method to deliver these emergency checks would be via direct deposit to their bank accounts, the same way all other VBA benefits are distributed to eligible veterans. If necessary, the VBA could require that veterans fax in appropriate documentation, allowing the funds to be released.

 

Thank you for your attention to this letter. I believe that this is the best method for delivering this important benefit that our veterans have earned. If you have any further questions or concerns, please contact Andrew Lederman at (202) 225-5441.

 

Sincerely,

 

John J. Hall
Member of Congress