September 29, 2009 - A retired Navy chief petty officer has jumped in to defend the Veterans Affairs Department's processing of Post-9/11 GI Bill payments, saying he received his benefits on time and without much fuss.

Kevin Ramey, a retired chief fire controlman attending Old Dominion University in Virginia, said Tuesday he applied months early for benefits and spent a lot of time making sure he was doing everything right.

"I am one of the 27,500 people who received benefits on time," Ramey said. "A lot of pressure has been put on VA because of this program. I realize VA has an obligation to serve veterans, but to be fair, the veterans and the schools need to take some ownership as well.

"My advice to veterans is to be proactive. Don't be afraid to ask for help. And share their experiences with fellow veterans and VA - the lessons learned this year will improve things in the future," said Ramey, who retired from the Navy in 2008 with 20 years of service.

Ramey, attending graduate school to earn a master's degree in public administration, said he applied as soon as VA started processing pre-enrollment claims in May and received his eligibility certificate June 30.

"This was not a delay. It was right in line with when VA said they would start sending out results," he said.

Ramey said he picked a school after verifying it would be covered by GI Bill benefits and determining how many credits he would need to qualify for the monthly living stipend, which is paid only to whose who are attending more than half-time. He is taking six credits in a program where nine credits are a full load.

He enrolled July 3, providing all of his paperwork to the school - but Old Dominion did not send an enrollment certification to VA for 21 days, apparently while waiting for other veterans to also enroll.

Classes began Aug. 29, he said, and on Sept. 15 he received his book allowance and a pro-rated housing allowance for the days he attended school in August. That was the same day that the university received its tuition payment from VA.

"There were a few delays along the way but, by far, the biggest delay was caused by the school, not VA," he said.

Keith Wilson, VA's education service director, said last week that one issue could be that colleges and universities were holding onto enrollment certifications, which VA needs in order to finalize payments to institutions for tuition and fees, and payments to students for living stipends and book allowances.

Thursday is a big day for the Post-9/11 GI Bill; VA will be making living stipend payments for students whose claims have been fully approved. Payments will cover September and any days a student was enrolled in August.

Acknowledging that some students won't be paid on Oct. 1, VA is working on a process for issuing emergency checks beginning Friday. The $3,000 payments will be advance pay, deducted from payments once they begin, VA officials said.

Army Times