Under Secretary Suggests Veterans’ GI Bill Hardships Exaggerated By Press
Reports from news media suggest many veterans are experiencing hardships as a result of not receiving their money, but VA would have us believe this is an exaggeration.
Dr. Paul Lawrence, Under Secretary for Veterans Benefits, challenged the veracity of some of the complaints but refused to provide specifics, citing privacy issues. This is a typical propaganda tactic the agency uses to silence opposition by floating questions of truthfulness but hiding behind privacy when challenged.
Lawrence also refused to provide Congress with clear answers about a timeline for fixing the glitch, which did not sit well with many members.
RELATED: VA Official In Charge Of GI Bill Gets Demoted
“Dr. Lawrence, not very encouraging,” Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-Tex.) said. “You failed to account for the scope of the problem and minimized the problem. … Not having a deadline going forward is a recipe for disaster if I ever heard one.”
A government contractor testified to Congress that 50-year-old IT systems were to blame for integration failures when implementing the Forever GI Bill changes.
The representative from Booz Allen Hamilton testified about challenges his company has faced implementing the new GI Bill law. Essentially, the new law required massive changes to how VA processes GI Bill monies beyond what the agency could handle within the timeframe created.
RELATED: VA Official Boasts GI Bill Software Works Right Half Time
As a result of a glitch exposed October 1, over 400,000 did not receive their GI Bill subsistence payments. After 45 days working the issue, over 10,000 veterans are still waiting for monies after waiting 30 days or more.
The system was required to make two changes after the Forever GI Bill was passed by Congress. Payments are tied to campus zip codes, which supposedly eliminates overpayments. Other recalculations were designed to offset costs of additional programs.
“Essentially, the law requires a 50-year-old IT platform that was designed to do the equivalent of basic math to instead perform something akin to calculus in short order,” stated a VA spokesman.
But continued complaints about the antiquated system seem dishonest at this point given the hundreds of millions Congress has invested into fixing the IT systems. How many more billions are required to make it happen?
RELATED: Vets Get Stiffed By GI Bill Due to IT Glitch
“I’m asking myself, are we destined to live with these IT problems regardless of how much taxpayer money we invest? It’s embarrassing. It’s shameful,” J. Luis Correa (D-Calif.) told VA officials during Thursday’s hearing.
“It’s laughable that VA is blaming Congress for its IT issues, especially given the fact that Congress just passed the largest VA budget in history,” said Molly Jenkins, a House VA committee spokeswoman, calling the agency’s IT failures “inexcusable, decades-long and well-documented.”
VA was given $30 million to fix its system in time for the August 2018 deadline it set to be ready for the October 1 implementation.
“[VA] sounded no alarms in their May 2018 report that there would be any delays at all,” Jenkins said.
Still and bankruptcies rampant, so is suicides. Oops media and agencies silent about that. Big Bro has other distractions to throw our way while the country sinks to new depths in the cesspool of life.
Lawmakers frustrated with ‘bureaucratic incompetence’ as VBA struggles with overdue benefits changes
November 19, 2018 3:06 pm
“https://federalnewsnetwork.com/hearings-oversight/2018/11/lawmakers-frustrated-with-bureaucratic-incompetence-as-vba-struggles-with-overdue-benefits-changes/”
My foremost concerns lie within VA’s scope of blaming antiquated “50 year old computer systems” for GIBills failure.
Umm? How many millions of dollars, in public monies, have been graciously allocated to VA budget, over the past 50+/- years for “necessary computer updates”?
I recall Hillary Clinton when interviewed and asked about continued problems across many Presidents as…”…wild conspiracy theories…”, THAT was the deathstrike for any possible vote from me for Killary….now they’re trying to smear that lie a bit thicker? More shit called icing on another turd.
VA Redefines “Urgency” as in increased processing for VA AFGE NonPerformance Bonus Checks….printed only on the very best recycled paper from best Veteran shredded C-Files.
In a Mood.
*continued problems {at the VA}…*
The problem of rich kids running the system. No one on the VA committee can relate to having 1 can of corned beef with a patch of Taro greens for 2 months of eating plus a few very small tilapia.
They just don’t know what it is to be poor and can’t relate to the urgency of the need.
Hell Lem they don’t even know what the inside of a grocery store looks like
Dr Paul Lawrence another bean counter. Always trying to squeeze blood out of a buffalo
nickel. They have cuffs on their pants so when a quater falls they can catch it.
There are only a few million of them but they hold so many Important decision making
positions? And it’s seldom for our benefit or the good of humanity.
Let’s just throw more money at problems money that should be going to vets and active duty members. It’s not there money otherwise things would be way different.
Donald get off your hands. Start doing what you promised us vets. Cleaning the va swamp.
Put some good people in charge of vets affairs instead of incompetent hacks.
The VA continues to blunder the system and then wants to point the finger at someone else instead of taking blame, Veterans shouldn’t have to wait a day or week so the VA can get a grip on the issue, nothing is going to change as long as the system isn’t fixed and the big wigs at the very aren’t held accountable, common sense is all it takes, if can’t do the job fire their asses
Dr. Paul Lawrence? Yet another insider and cheerleader. He along with others can burn in hell. Obviously those scum at “the top” and countless others live far above the peasants and hurting souls out there. Typical with DC types and the local elite classes. None of them up there in the alphabet soup of labels, titles, leadership, phony ‘honorable’ mentions or in happy-land deserve or should speak for us or claim to know how the other half lives. They deserve no respect, no trust, or happy salutations.
The idiot and others aren’t considering daily living or suffering for many. Some places you don’t/can’t pay property taxes for a year it goes into a tax sale process. Oh, none of that killer stress there! On top of vets trying to get through egg sucking academia, deal with health care issues, red tape, games, lies, IT crap, retaliation, etc. The idiot and those “at the top’ aren’t considering the many bankruptcies either folks are forced into or kicked out into the streets. Perhaps the good doctor is willing to pay for all those waiting compounded late fees, utilities to be turned back on, and such. Corporate colleges wanting their big bucks. The idiot. Keeping people ignorant of info/news, divided, distracted, the censoring, keeping them stressed out ( a real killer), suffering beyond measure, allow time to pass-by, lip-service to blowing smoke, folks allowed to die off is just their agendas.
Privacy issues? Wish I had a buck for every time I’ve heard that from countless resources trying to prove some things. Typical cop-out, zero transparency, zero ethics, zero representation. Specifics along with it are not allowed for public consumption… just the BS. The scum have all their bases, and butts, covered.
Of course the VA would like to have veterans believe that there is no hardship caused when you do not receive your earned compensation.
Dr. Paul Lawrence is NOTHING but another VA Politician.
What is a VA Politician? A Bag of Shit in the middle of a Dumpster Fire.
Time to figuratively burn the whole damn sorry mess of the VA down, and start over.