This Week at American Veteran

This week at American Veteran, Congress reconvenes in Washington and AMVETS national legislative department will be out in force on Capitol Hill, serving our veterans.

On Thursday, the House Committee on Veterans Affairs will host a hearing on veterans' employment, sparked by recent unemployment figures among young Iraq and Afghanistan veterans.

Later Thursday, AMVETS will also be meeting with Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) and Rep. John Hall (D-N.Y.) to discuss assistance dogs for wounded veterans, following up on March's Capitol Hill visits.

This week, American Veteran will also highlight the latest recipient of the James H. Parke Memorial Scholarship, which AMVETS helped to present last week in Ohio. Parke was VA's first director of voluntary services, or VAVS.

This week also marks the editorial deadline for the spring issue of American Veteran magazine. If your post or department has photos you would like to submit for the Keeping Posted section, or if you would like to submit a letter to the editor for publication consideration, please send it to rgallucci@amvets.org no later than Friday, April 16.

American Veteran will also continue to follow the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill and VA's recent recoupment of emergency check funds. As the week progresses and as leaders reconvene in Washington, check back regularly with American Veteran Online for updates.

This Week at American Veteran

This week at American Veteran, we will cover a series of hearings in the House Committee on Veterans Affairs ranging from the structure of the 21st century VA to progress on VA's Center for Veteran Enterprise.

We will also continue to follow VA's efforts to recoup Post-9/11 G.I. Bill emergency check payments from student-veterans. AMVETS has heard from numerous student-veterans who have received notice, but are yet to receive back pay for the fall. AMVETS is also concerned about the lines of communication with VA, whose repayment hotline has been busy for the last week. Check back for updates as this story develops.

Over the weekend, AMVETS leaders gathered in Stevens Point, Mich., to honor AMVETS National Commander Duane Miskulin for his testimonial dinner. The annual tradition takes place in the national commander's home town shortly before the commander is scheduled to testify before the special joint session of the House and Senate committees on Veterans Affairs.

Cmdr. Miskulin is scheduled to testify next Thursday, March 18, at 9:30 a.m. in the Dirksen Senate Office Building. This year, Miskulin's testimony will coincide with a series of events on Capitol Hill and around the region, as AMVETS, its subordinate organizations and its partners make their presence felt on Capitol Hill.

On Tuesday, March 16, AMVETS will join Paws With A Cause to push for responsible veterans' service dog legislation through a series of meetings with Congressional leaders and the Obama Administration. On Thursday, following Cmdr. Miskulin's testimony, AMVETS and Sons of AMVETS members will visit with dozens of legislators, as well, outlining AMVETS' legislative agenda for 2010, which was published on Veterans Day.

Thursday concludes when AMVETS honors Congressman Tim Walz (D-Minn.) with the 2010 Congressional Silver Helmet award.

On March 19, AMVETS leaders will gather at the Hilton Washington Dulles for the spring meeting of the National Executive Committee and the 56th annual Silver Helmet Awards banquet. American Veteran will be on hand covering the event on this blog.

This week, AMVETS leaders will also acknowledge Women in Military History Month, kicking off on American Veteran Online with more stories of heroism and valor among America's storied female service members.

American Veteran is also eager to highlight noteworthy female AMVETS members as part of our "Women in Service" series.

As always, we're eager to hear from you and eager to post any content from AMVETS posts and departments around the country.

Post-9/11 G.I. Bill Update: VA Emergency Check Collections

VA announced this week that it will send a second round of notifications to veterans who took advantage of the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill emergency checks in the fall semester.

According to Military Times, VA plans to offer several repayment options for veterans, including possible debt waivers for those experiencing financial hardships.

AMVETS leaders were surprised to hear of VA's recoupment plan earlier this year and continue to call on VA to hold off on collections until all back pay issues from the fall semester have been sorted out.

AMVETS continues to receive e-mails and phone calls from concerned veterans who have received some payments, but for whom back pay from fall semester remains a critical missing piece.

VA recently told AMVETS that a high percentage of emergency checks may have been issued to ineligible active duty personnel around military installations, prompting VA to seek swift recovery of its funds. However, AMVETS leaders remain concerned that casting a wide net to recover bad checks could lead to more headaches for legitimate student-veterans.

"While we understand that VA wants to collect from folks who didn't deserve checks in the first place, many recipients of Chapter 33 are struggling to make ends meet because they haven't received their back pay from the fall," said AMVETS National Legislative Director Ray Kelley. "VA's focus should be on ensuring that this money is provided to these veterans before adding another stress by insisting on recoupment of the emergency payment."

AMVETS originally suggested a similar emergency payment program to VA in late August, when reports of Post-9/11 G.I. Bill delays started to surface. VA implemented its emergency check program in October with the intent of recovering check funds quickly once the backlog was sorted out.

Post-9/11 G.I. Bill Update: VA to Recoup $3,000 Emergency Payments

Today, VA announced it will seek to recoup the fall $3,000 emergency check payments for student-veterans caught in the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill processing delays. Though any student taking advantage of a G.I. Bill benefit was eligible to take advantage of the advance payment, the intention was to help veterans taking advantage of the new Chapter 33 benefits, which were taking longer to process than VA had anticipated.

When news of Chapter 33 delays began to surface, AMVETS suggested that VA deliver a good faith payment to eligible student-veterans, similar to the emergency check program implemented in October.

On Stripes Central, the official blog of Stars & Stripes, Leo Shane explained that VA will send letters to student-veterans who took advantage of the emergency check program, outlining repayment options.

In the meantime, AMVETS leaders urge veterans not to panic. The VA has competent systems in place to audit its accounts, with appellate systems and safeguards in place to ensure accuracy.

American Veteran will work to secure an example of the letter and keep you posted in the coming days on how VA plans to balance its books on the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill.

Post-9/11 G.I. Bill Update: VA video on advance payments

This afternoon, VA released a video explaining the G.I. Bill emergency stipend program. In the video, VA Assistant Secretary for Public and Intergovernmental Affairs Tammy Duckworth apologizes to veterans experiencing payment delays and explains how affected student-veterans can take advantage of the advance pay system.



This afternoon, AMVETS received messages from veterans who registered online to receive emergency stipend checks but have not received payment. AMVETS urges veterans to be patient with the process. Checks will be issued by the Treasury Department within three business days of veterans filling out the online forms. From this point, it may take an additional three days within the U.S. Postal Service.

Keep checking your mailboxes and don't hesitate to post to American Veteran Online, if you continue to experience delays.

Post-9/11 G.I. Bill Update: Emergency check payments going smoothly

This morning, VA's 57 regional offices across the country started distributing checks to student-veterans experiencing G.I. Bill payment delays. AMVETS National Service officers were on hand at regional offices monitoring the situation and AMVETS National Headquarters has received updates throughout the morning.

Most regional offices have reported that veterans arrived early to receive their checks. In Atlanta, AMVETS National Service Officer Bobby Rand reported that the office opened its doors at 7:30 and as of noon veterans did not have to wait in line. Atlanta-area veterans told Rand that the VA employees handling the check process were professional, efficient and courteous.

AMVETS State Service Officer Richard Kenton at the Oakland VA Regional Office reported that 30 to 40 veterans were on hand as soon as the doors opened and Northern California veterans also seemed very happy with the process.

Photos and positive reports have also come in from VA Regional Office in Phoenix, where AMVETS National Service Officers Paul Zanger and Dale Tiberg are on hand speaking with veterans.

By 5 p.m., VA had processed more than 8,500 checks at VA Regional Offices and accepted more than 7,500 online applications. VA reported its heaviest volume in Washington, Chicago, and Waco, Texas.

"Based on what we've seen today, we're cautiously optimistic that the operation will continue running smoothly," said Brandon Friedman, VA Director of New Media. "It's taking a lot of patience on everyone's part, but we're determined to get these checks out to the people who need them. We know how this backlog has upended people's lives, so we're doing what we can to make it right."

Friedman went on to say that some regional offices had seen long lines and minor delays, but lines were moving and veterans were leaving with their emergency payments in-hand.

This morning, VA also announced that VA Regional Offices will be open tomorrow at 8 a.m. to continue processing emergency check payments for veterans who could not make the trip on Friday.

As reports come in from around the country, American Veteran Online will keep posting on the response from the veterans' community. If you have an emergency payment story that you would like to share, please let us know on the blog.

(Photos: Top: Veterans line up at the VA Regional Office in Phoenix to receive their emergency G.I. Bill payments. Photo by AMVETS National Service Officer Dale Tiberg. Bottom: Veterans wait outside of the VA Regional Office in Winston-Salem, N.C. early this morning to collect emergency checks. Photo by AMVETS National Service Officer Bobby Rand.)