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AMVETS SUPPORTS VA OUTSOURCING TO IMPLEMENT G.I. BILL
AMVETS supports decision by VA; new G.I. Bill must roll out on time
WASHINGTON, Oct. 8, 2008— AMVETS, one of the nation’s leading veterans’ service organizations, supports the VA’s decision to outsource the initial implementation of the post-9/11 G.I. Bill to a government contractor. Breaking with other major veterans’ organizations, AMVETS agrees that the only way to develop and administrate a delivery system for the new landmark education benefits in time for the August 2009 deadline is through the temporary use of an outside firm specializing in IT infrastructure.
“If the VA is to launch the new G.I. Bill on time, the processing program must be out of development and in a functional test period by early summer 2009 to identify any mistakes in the application,” said AMVETS Legislative Director Ray Kelley. “The VA had no way of anticipating this complete overhaul to the current G.I. Bill, and it’s a simple fact that the VA does not have the existing IT support structure to create and test a viable program in time.”
During recent testimony before the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, Kelley noted that the VA had 32 months to develop and implement a delivery system for the Montgomery G.I. Bill in 1984. This time around the VA only has 13 months to establish an even more complex system, while continuing to process claims for veterans eligible for the old G.I. Bill.
The only other option for the VA would be to hire hundreds of temporary staffers to manually process each claim for the new G.I. Bill, while simultaneously building their IT infrastructure. AMVETS not only worries that this will further exacerbate an already-stressed G.I. Bill system within the VA, but AMVETS also warns that these new jobs would not be permanent.
“While it may seem enticing for the VA to create new jobs, potentially hiring more veterans during tough economic times, these jobs will not last,” Kelley said. “The VA needs to establish a streamlined, automated system through which veterans can quickly receive their benefits. Additional workers would simply be a stop-gap measure until this is accomplished.”
The current G.I. Bill is the most widely used of all veterans’ benefits, with nearly 70 percent of eligible veterans taking advantage of the program. Once the new G.I. Bill takes effect, offering a free college education to post-9/11 veterans, the VA expects a spike in the program’s enrollment.
Kelley warns that if the VA does not implement the new G.I. Bill on time with a fully-functional processing system, veterans will not receive the timely benefits they have been promised.
“Today we already see severe backlogs in G.I. Bill claims,” Kelley said. “With an influx of new veterans into the system, and a VA that cannot meet the expectations, we could potentially see thousands of veterans shut out from their first semester of college. The VA has a viable plan to ensure our student-veterans receive their benefits and we support that plan 100 percent.”
Shortly after the new G.I. Bill was passed, the VA presented their implementation plan to a panel of veterans’ groups and veterans’ advocates, who staunchly opposed outsourcing the new program. Though AMVETS would prefer for the VA to implement the program internally, the VA has provided sufficient evidence to demonstrate that a contractor is the only viable option to roll out the new G.I. Bill on time.
About AMVETS:
A leader since 1944 in preserving the freedoms secured by America’s armed forces, AMVETS provides support for veterans and the active military in procuring their earned entitlements, as well as community service and legislative reform that enhances the quality of life for this nation’s citizens and veterans alike. AMVETS is one of the largest congressionally-chartered veterans’ service organizations in the United States, and includes members from each branch of the military, including the National Guard and Reserves. For more information, visit www.amvets.org.
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