WASHINGTON — Lawmakers are concerned that governmental red tape is making it hard for veterans to use the GI Bill.
Members of the House Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity on Wednesday held a hearing on the impact of bureaucratic regulations on veterans' access to their GI Bill benefits.
"Persistent red tape and VA statutory misinterpretations continue to hinder the potential of veterans educational benefits," said Will Hubbard, Vice President of Veterans Education Success. "And the result is that the laws put in place to safeguard hard-earned benefits are not being properly executed."
The Committee's Chairman, Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-Wisconsin) was not pleased.
"Unfortunately, VA has mandated that a certain number of Risk-Based Surveys be performed, regardless of whether there are issues at that number of schools. This is completely unnecessary red tape, and not at all the intent of the law when it was passed," Van Orden said.
Joseph Garcia, the Department of Veterans Affairs Executive Director of Education, Veterans Benefits Administration, defended the agencies practices.
"These surveys are an important tool in assessing that institutions are meeting and maintaining appropriate requirements," Garcia said.
But Van Orden was unconvinced.
"Listen, man. Regulations and program are designed to make things better and more fluid and easier so you can accomplish a task. And if the regulation is getting in the way of accomplishing a mission, then, the regulation needs to be looked at. It's pretty simple," Van Orden said.
There is much at stake.
The Congressional Budget Office reports that in Fiscal Year 2022, the Department of Veterans Affairs estimated that over 800,000 vets received $10.2 billion dollars in GI Bill benefits.