Veteran Dependents Still Being Denied GI Bill Benefits
December 12, 2020
Roughly one year ago, two media outlets broke the news that a handful of veterans were being denied their right to share college benefits with their children after serving additional years in the military.
Despite this new breaking last year, some veterans and their dependents say they are still being denied college benefits the Post 9/11 GI Bill entitles them to pass along to their children.
Unfortunately, some veterans did not find out until their children were applying to college, that there was an issue calculating their retirement dates and, as a result, their dependents would not receive a dime. Even after these veterans spent additional years in service solely for these benefits, they suddenly no longer qualified.
In other situations, some veterans were approved and their children went to college, only to have the government suddenly cut off their education payments and attempt to re-take that money back from the student.
Various veteran advocates are saying this issue is essentially a paperwork error. With the story essentially remaining the same, veterans were told they had to meet all service obligations before they retired. Only to learn later they were a few months or days short of qualifying to transfer their education benefits to their children.
The Department of Veterans Affairs acknowledged there were errors resulting in the withdrawal of education benefits, leaving dependents suddenly in debt. VA stated this is a rare occurrence, but whether that is the case or not, the consequences of these errors are huge.
For instance, a Michigan resident that received education benefits for their father’s service had to immediately leave DePaul University after their tuition payments were suddenly withdrawn. Despite her father serving extra years in the military to receive those benefits. Fortunately, after a push by a group of Congress members, the Secretary of the Navy pledged to waive their hefty $20,000 student loan debt.
One likely reason for the confusion: Military service records don’t always match their dates. For example, the GI Bill transfer date may not always match their extension date. Additionally, serving in the reserves could further complicate how long you must serve to qualify for these benefits.
The Defense Department has said, veterans and their families can try to correct these problems through each service branch’s military records correction board. While this route seems promising, many veteran families have utilized this option and were still denied their education benefits.
Legal Help For Veterans, PLLC is a nationwide VA Disability Law Firm that specializes in all VA Disability Benefits matters. Our team fights for veterans and dependents to Service-Connect Injuries, Increase Disability Ratings, and obtain the earliest Effective Dates for those ratings. If you or someone you know is a veteran that’s struggling to receive the benefits they deserve, please call Legal Help For Veterans at (800) 693-4800 to receive your Free Claim Evaluation, or contact us online.