KFBB: Tester Criticizes VA for mishandling G.I. Bill Overpayments
Senator Jon Tester had some tough words today for the VA In a Senate hearing, Tester criticized the mishandling of veterans’ benefits payments under the 21st Century G.I. Bill.
The new law pays tuition and other college expenses for post-9/11 veterans. But when the VA sends too much money to schools, it tells colleges to refund students instead of send the money back. This means students are placed in “overpayment status” and responsible for a debt they are sometimes not even aware of.
“We all agree that this new G.I. Bill is a good thing, and we all agree that it’s going to have its glitches as it moves forward,” said Tester. ” It has its glitches. I mean, you can’t fix stuff until you know what’s wrong. My question is more, moving forward, is putting veterans in overpayment status something that the VA is going to continue to do, or are we going to fix that?”
