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A tight timeline

Of the many challenges facing Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki, one of the most urgent may be stopping Congress from engaging in last-minute tinkering with the Post-9/11 GI Bill in a way that could scuttle the Aug. 1 launch of the sweeping new benefit.

Powerful lawmakers, including Rep. Bob Filner, D-Calif., House Veterans’ Affairs Committee chairman, are being pressed by state education officials to revise the plan to reimburse full tuition plus fees at public colleges and universities.

The states pushing this case are mostly those that heavily subsidize college costs for nonveterans, which lowers the average college tuition rates and fees students pay in those states — and those charges are the basis for payments under the Post-9/11 GI Bill.

In effect, these states are seeking money from the federal government, through VA, to cover more of the costs of subsidizing tuition and fees for veterans.

While this is not a new issue, it has come to the fore after the Veterans Affairs Department published a preliminary list of estimated tuition and fee caps that would apply in each state under the Post-9/11 GI Bill formula. The formula is designed to fully cover tuition and fees for veterans up to the cost of the most expensive public four-year college or university in each state.

The rate chart shows states that heavily subsidize tuition, such as California and Texas, will get less federal Post-9/11 GI Bill money than states that spend less on education.

“It isn’t fair, it isn’t right, and it needs to be changed,” Filner said. “States that properly kept tuition low are going to be covered at a level that doesn’t really cover costs.”

Shinseki, testifying March 10 before the House and Senate Veterans’ Affairs committees, said implementing the new GI Bill education benefit is one of his top priorities, with VA hoping to be ready to accept claims by the end of April in preparation for paying tuition and stipends for the fall semester.

Any changes along the lines of what Filner is talking about, Shinseki said, would put current plans for launching the program at risk.

“It is a very tight plan and timeline,” he said.

The first of several phases of training for claims processors began March 9 as part of a buildup to the Aug. 1 start date for the new program, he said.

Because computing GI Bill benefits is being complicated by the different maximum payment levels set for each state, claims will be manually processed for the first year with some computer assistance, he said. By 2010, VA hopes to have a fully automated claims system in place.

The lawmaker whose House panel would have to consider any changes to the Post-9/11 GI Bill shares Shinseki’s concerns that modifying the program now could delay payments or lead to errors in benefits calculations.

Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, D-S.D., who chairs the House Veterans’ Affairs economic opportunity subcommittee, said she is willing to listen to complaints and recommendations, but does not want to do anything that may cause more problems than it solves.

“You don’t have to tell me it is a problem to get a change to the bill before Aug. 1,” she told Shinseki.

Filner said he recognizes that any change would have to be made quickly if it is to take effect this year.