We've been seeing some grumbling online about VA's Vocational Rehabilitation payments being late and just found out that the VA has admitted there is a problem with this month's subsistence payments.
On Feb. 1, the GI Bill Facebook page posted this notice:
"Due to a system issue on January 30, 2018, approximately 11,000, Chapter 31 (VR&E) payments were not processed and will be delayed. This issue is limited to Chapter 31 payments only.
We apologize for the inconvenience. We are aware of a payment processing delay and we are working to resolve this issue as quickly as possible. At this time, we expect that your payment will be issued on February 6, 2018.
For additional questions or requests related to this issue, please contact your VR&E counselor for additional assistance."
We also saw that the VA has issued guidance to its customer service reps to apologize to veterans who are affected and refer to the delay as a "computer glitch". The VA also says that the problem has been corrected and won't happen again.
Vocational Rehabilitation payments are usually pretty much like clockwork, and in the 20 some years I have been following them, this is the first time I can remember such a widespread delay.
Still if you are one of the 11,000 affected veterans and your bills are late or your landlord is banging on the door for rent, you can always blame the VA and say the check is in the mail. I'm not sure if they will buy it, or waive your late fees, but it doesn't hurt to try. Good luck, at least you're not alone.
Also, you can pretty much bet that some butts in the VA have been thoroughly chewed, since this has hit the national media, and next month's payment will be right on time.
