The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) dispensed $416 million in Post-9/11 GI Bill overpayments during the 2014 fiscal year, according to a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report published last week. The overpayments, which are primarily driven by enrollment changes and college errors, affected approximately one in four veteran beneficiaries and about 6,000 schools. Although most of the overpayments were collected quickly, the GAO noted that, as of November 2014, the VA was still collecting $152 million in overpayments from fiscal year 2014 and an additional $110 million from previous years.
The report argued that inadequate guidance, processes, and training have limited the VA's efforts to reduce overpayments. The GAO urged Congress to grant the VA explicit authority to require training for school officials. The agency also offered a number of recommendations to improve the VA's guidance and processes, including providing program guidance to veterans, verifying veterans' monthly enrollment, and developing additional debt notification methods.
The VA accepted the GAO's recommendations and plans to address these issues.
Related Links
U.S. Government Accountability Office Report
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-16-42