Soldiers listen to a lecture during the Joint Firepower Course April 21, 2015, at Camp Casey, South Korea. US Army photo.
The Department of Veterans Affairs is implementing monthly enrollment verifications for veterans using Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits.
Veterans using other programs, such as the Montgomery GI Bill, have had to verify their attendance for decades, but post-9/11 veterans have been exempt. That changed in August for GI Bill users attending technical schools, also known as “non-college degree” schools. Those veterans must verify their attendance with the VA every month in order to keep getting their Monthly Housing Allowances or kicker payments, according to a press release from the VA.
The VA plans to expand that requirement to all students using the GI Bill by mid-December. All affected students should be notified and provided more information before the requirement applies to them, according to the VA.
Many students will confirm GI Bill enrollment by text. After enrolling in courses, students will receive a text message asking them to opt-in to text message verification, according to the VA. If students reply “Yes” to opt-in, they will get a message from the VA at the end of each month asking them to respond “Yes” to confirm they are still enrolled.
If students fail to verify their enrollment for two consecutive months, the VA will withhold their housing and kicker payments.
Students who opt-out of text message verification or who don’t receive the text messages must call the VA at 888-442-4551 to receive payments.
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Hannah Ray Lambert is a former staff writer for Coffee or Die who previously covered everything from murder trials to high school trap shooting teams. She spent several months getting tear gassed during the 2020-2021 civil unrest in Portland, Oregon. When she’s not working, Hannah enjoys hiking, reading, and talking about authors and books on her podcast Between Lewis and Lovecraft.
