December 4, 2008

New GI Bill Will Begin As Planned

Next August, Congress will launch the new post-9/11 GI Bill that doubles the value of education benefits for eligible veterans.

According to Keith M. Wilson, director of education service for the Veteran Benefits Administration, recent concerns that the new GI Bill might not start on Aug. 1, 2009, as the law requires, are unfounded. Although the bill will be launched on schedule, the new automated processing system won’t be ready for use for approximately two years.  As a result, payments will be processed manually, as occurs now with Montgomery GI Bill (MGIB) and other education benefit claims.

Wilson indicates that adequate staff will be hired and trained to ensure the average time to process a GI Bill application will not exceed the current period of 19 days for MGIB users. With an automated system, the anticipated maximum processing time is 10 days, and most applications are expected to be processed and approved within one day.

If you have questions about benefits for military personnel and veterans, contact our Policy, Compliance, and Training department at 405.234.4432 or pct@ogslp.org.