What To Do If You Are Not Receiving Your Benefits

So a common issue that many veterans face when they apply for education benefits is the time it takes for the application to go through, and for them to actually receive the money. I luckily had a good experience, I applied in July and received my certificate of eligibility in the mail three or four weeks later (August). I promptly filled out the form at my on campus veterans center allowing them to request benefits on my behalf, and then waited roughly a month and a half before receiving my first payment. I was not too happy that I had been in school for about six weeks at that point and had not received my benefits, but after hearing some stories from other veterans I quickly realized my wait was not that bad. I reached out to a female I went to basic training with while I was waiting, and asked her how long it took her. She said four months! She said she went almost the whole first semester without her benefits because there were miscommunication and system errors between the VA and her school's veteran center. This is coming from someone I knew, after hearing that I quickly went to google and found many stories like hers. Veterans who are full-time students, waiting for benefits that are meant to support them while they are in school, going for weeks and months without any aid. If you find yourself in this situation, I have a few short-term solutions that could help you. First of all, I recommend finding what is holding your process up. If you have your certificate of eligibility and have filled out the document(s) that allow your veterans center to request your benefits on your behalf, then it is the VA that is holding you up. Still, I would call the veterans center and confirm that they have sent it to the VA just so you can avoid the VA telling you it is your school that has not sent it (calling the VA would take longer so that is why I would start with your school also). Then if your veterans center said it was sent I would call the VA and ask to speak to a representative. I did this multiple times while waiting for my aid and all the representatives I talked to were very nice but unfortunately I kept being told that they were simply backed up. I also would call and have someone tell me it should be processed by a certain day, and it never was. It was very frustrating but manageable for those six weeks. Now if you are going through this and it is getting to the point where you need the money the first thing I would do is reach out to your schools veteran center and financial aid office. I reached out to my financial aid office when I was not getting benefits because I was worried that I was not going to be able to register for classes in the spring (registration opened in October) because my tuition was not paid. The financial aid office informed me of the deadlines (which I am struggling to remember but it was at the end of the semester) and gave me a lot of useful information. They also offered an emergency short-term loan if needed for my other expenses since I was not getting a living stipend. This is one of the short-term solutions I want to recommend if you are not receiving your benefits. Most schools offer them. At Illinois State University, any student that has an emergency need for funds can simply go to the Financial Aid Office to request a loan. The Financial Aid Office will have you fill out a loan request stating the reason for the loan. They will then work with you to determine if the loan is needed, if the amount requested is necessary, and also the method of repayment. A due date is then agreed upon if you are approved for a loan. After being approved, you have to sign a promissory note agreeing to repay the loan. The Financial Aid Office fills out a voucher, which is taken to the Cashiers' Office with the promissory note. A cashier then issues you cash for the amount of the loan. This may be a good option to hold you over until the money comes. Also reach out to your veterans center, they may have other options specific to your school. Another short-term solution is to use a credit card, or get cash advances. That said, the APR is likely higher than your card's standard rate, interest starts accruing immediately, and you'll be charged a cash advance fee up to 5% of the amount advanced. If you can qualify for a personal loan, that will likely be a better option than a cash advance and may have a lower APR. Plus, personal loans charge simple interest whereas credit cards charge compound interest. So alternatively to the short-term emergency loan from your school, you could also research veteran friendly loan services. A personal recommendation is Navy Federal Credit Union, they are considered one of the best overall VA loan lenders. While ideally you should receive your aid in a manageable time frame, I am suggesting these options as a backup for anyone that is stuck in a bad situation. The most important thing throughout all of this is communication and research. Talk to the VA, your school's veteran center, and financial aid office. The short-term solutions I suggested in this were the ones offered to me when I was waiting for my aid to come in. Every school and state is different, your options may be different then mine so be sure to reach out to every resource you can. Also research and do your homework. I was able to use savings to tie myself over, and the friend I mentioned earlier had a part-time job and had a family that loaned her money while she waited. There are many solutions to one problem so be sure to explore yours. Feel free to reach out to me with any questions on this topic!