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U.S. NEWS Friday 16 November 2018

VA seeks to reduce GI Bill

payment delays after IT woes

By HOPE YEN campus where they attend ence.
Associated Press the most classes, rather “The average claim takes
WASHINGTON (AP) — The than defaulting to the main approximately 15 days to
Department of Veterans campuses. That meant a process — this is very close
Affairs on Thursday prom- change to the IT systems to VA’s historic processing
ised to try to speed up pay- for hundreds of thousands goal of 14 days or fewer for
ments to thousands of vet- of GI Bill recipients. supplemental claims,” the
erans after delays caused According to VA data pro- VA said in a statement.
by information technology vided to The Associated The department stressed Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie places a wreath at the
problems. Press, as of this week, about that any delay in payments Tomb of the Unknown Soldier during a ceremony at Arlington
“We are working diligently 56,500 veterans had out- is unacceptable, but ac- National Cemetery on Veterans Day, Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018, in
to minimize these delays standing claims for their GI knowledged that payment Arlington, Va.
affecting GI Bill students,” education benefits, down of GI benefits could still ex- Associated Press
Paul Lawrence, VA’s un- from 82,000 last week. The perience problems in the ing on restoring benefits 2015 and 2016.
dersecretary for benefits, numbers include claims months ahead until IT sys- for students whose college “I will tell you that the pay-
said in a statement. recently received, so not tems are fixed. closed down mid-program, ments are flowing,” Wilkie
Last year, President Don- all represent a backlog or Last week, VA Secretary Wilkie said. That is the case said last week.
ald Trump signed off on the delayed payment. Out of Robert Wilkie expressed for thousands of veterans The VA said students can
biggest boost in GI benefits the 56,500, about 825 were hope that upgraded IT sys- who were hurt by the col- contact its call center at
in a decade, but the leg- claims pending more than tems could be put in place lapse of for-profit college 1-888-442-4551 if they are
islation did not take into 60 days, the VA said. sometime “early next year.” giants ITT Technical Institute encountering problems
account the additional Veterans were being paid The agency is also work- and Corinthian Colleges in with their GI benefits.q
time or finances needed at the 2017 level until IT
to upgrade VA’s aging IT problems were fixed.
systems in order to process It said students who were
claims. The expanded ben- underpaid would receive
efits took effect this fall. the remaining amount
Among the GI Bill changes once IT upgrades are
was a provision that of- completed. Those who
fered monthly housing sti- were overpaid due to the
pends to veterans based change in law would be
on the ZIP codes of the able to keep the differ-

Corrected study:

Building, mining have

high suicide rates

In this Monday, April 21, 2008 file photo, a U.S soldier looks
through the scope of his weapon during a night patrol in
Mandozai, in Khost province, Afghanistan, seen through night
vision equipment. Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. included the misclassifica-
health officials say the tion of some workers as
workers with the highest sui- farmers instead of manag-
cide rates have construc- ers. The study looked at
tion, mining and drilling 22,000 people who died of
jobs. That was the finding suicide in 2012 and 2015,
of a report correcting an and what jobs they held.
earlier study that mistaken- Men had the highest sui-
ly said farmers, lumberjacks cide rates. The 2015 suicide
and fishermen killed them- rate for men in construction
selves most often. and extraction jobs was 53
The Centers for Disease per 100,000. The second
Control and Prevention re- highest rate was seen in
leased a corrected study men who worked in arts,
Thursday. CDC officials said design, entertainment and
the 2016 study ‘s mistakes media.q