Restructure the disbursement of Veterans Educational Benefits

Listed below are the steps veterans must currently endure to use their GI Bill:

1.Submit a copy of their of class schedule to the veterans affairs officer at their school.
2.The veterans affairs officer sends the course information electronically to the appropriate regional veterans affairs office for processing.
3.Once the veterans' file has been updated with the new course information the veteran must verify that their enrollment has not changed on the last day of every month while they are attending school. Verification is done in one of two ways:
A.By calling 1-877-823-2378
B.Or by using the Web Automated Verification of Enrollment (WAVE) at www.gibill.va.gov
4.After verification is completed the veteran will receive a payment within 7-10 days, if they have a direct deposit account.
5.If enrollment should change during a semester the veteran must repeat steps 1 and 2, however it may take up to 45 days for their regional veterans affairs office to update their file.

I am proposing that the following revisions be made to the current disbursement system for Chapter 30 educational benefits:

1.Chapter 30 veterans benefits be paid in one lump sum to be paid upon receipt of verification of enrollment, which would be completed on the educational institutions the add/drop deadline, or the last day of the first month of the semester, whichever comes first.

2.The monthly verification system would be used solely as a means to prevent the defrauding of the federal government.

This proposal will come at a mimimal cost to taxpayers.

The information contained in this petition can be found on the following websites:
1.http://www.vba.va.gov
2.http://www.va.gov/publ/direc/eds/edsmps.htm
A.M22-4 Part V (this link was broken however at the time this petition was written)
3.http://www.access.gpo.gov/uscode/title38/partiii_chapter30_.html
4.http://www.gibill.va.gov/