You are on page 1of 2
Congress of the United States ‘Washington, BC 20515 November 29, 2018 ‘The Honorable Robert Wilkie Secretary U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs 810 Vermont Avenue NW Washington, DC 20420 Dear Secretary Wilkie: ‘We write today to address deeply troubling reports that Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) officials do not intend to reimburse veterans for acknowledged underpayment of benefits required by the law known as the Forever GI Bill. While we appreciate Undersecretary Paul Lawrence's comments at the House Veteran A fairs Committee hearing this moming indicating reimbursements would be forthcoming, we remain concerned about the serious impacts of persistent delays and continued uncertainty on our nation’s veterans. As veterans ourselves, these reports are deeply dismaying to us, and we urge you to work toward a swift solution that will not further jeopardize the educational pursuits, housing, or financial security of veterans and their families. Our nation’s veterans have served our country with honor, often making incredible sacrifices to do so. It is imperative that we also honor our promises to them in return, As you know, the Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2017 (Public Law 115-48), also known as Forever GI Bill, was signed into law in 2017. Yet, since its effective date of August 1, 2018, veterans have withstood recurrent delays and financial losses as the agency struggled to update legacy IT systems to adequately account for the changes in law. In some cases, payments to beneficiaries were delayed up to two months causing problems as severe as eviction and inability to pay for basic needs such as food. Further, the second order losses suffered by veterans and their families — emotional stress, undeserved interest charges and overdraft fees, and educational and professional setbacks ~ cannot be made whole. This treatment of our nation’s courageous veterans cannot continue. Itis imperative that the VA promptly address the technical problems contributing to these delays, provide veterans certainty in their planning, and restore veterans’ trust that their earned benefits will be timely and wholly delivered. We look forward to your prompt response and plans to address these concerning and persistent issues. Sincerely, Ruben Gallego fo Member of Congress Tals: Gabbard Tulsi Gabbard Member of Congress OS Chris Stewart ‘Member of Congress jember of Congress Robert C. “Bobby” Scott Member f Congress Member of Congress

You might also like