As the spring semester began at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, a group of military veterans eagerly awaited their GI Bill benefit checks to cover tuition, textbooks, and housing. However, they faced a delay until April, leading three veterans to leave. This issue, exacerbated by federal government staffing cuts since President Trump’s tenure, has extended the wait time for veterans’ benefits to thrice the usual duration, according to Jeff Deickman, assistant director for veteran and military affairs at the university.
Deickman and others report frequent errors in Veterans Administration paperwork, causing further delays and prompting some student veterans to drop out. “I can spend, on bad days, three hours on the phone with the VA,” Deickman noted, highlighting the inefficiency in resolving these issues. Almost 600,000 veterans received about $10 billion in GI Bill benefits last year, but current VA and U.S. Department of Education staffing cuts are raising concerns.
With the planned layoffs of nearly 30,000 VA employees and more cuts at the Department of Education, advocates fear reduced oversight on for-profit colleges exploiting veteran tuition payments. Barmak Nassirian from Veterans Education Success warns that without better information from federal agencies, veterans are growing anxious.
“The whole process” has become chaotic, said a 33-year-old Navy vet in Colorado, using a military term to express frustration. Social media platforms reveal veterans’ dissatisfaction with stalled benefits and errors. One Reddit user lamented, “I just wish I could speak to someone who could help,” after multiple failed attempts to resolve loan issues.
Federal law mandates student loan forgiveness for disabled veterans, yet many report denials. A Department of Education mistake acknowledgment lacks follow-up guidance, leaving veterans in limbo. The VA spokesperson, Gary Kunich, confirmed no layoffs despite cutting 1,000 probationary employees in January and 1,400 more in February. Plans for 30,000 additional layoffs are underway.
This threatens access to veterans’ education benefits, noted by the American Council on Education (ACE). Veterans, already twice as likely to attend for-profit colleges, face heightened risks of losing GI Bill benefits. Lindsay Church of Minority Veterans of America warns that low-income and diverse veterans, less experienced with higher education, are more susceptible to fraud.
Payment delays and paperwork errors from staffing cuts are immediate concerns. At Pikes Peak State College, some veterans were left without benefits by May, said Paul DeCecco, director of military and veteran programs. At Miramar College in San Diego, veterans experienced long wait times for VA work-study contracts, previously processed in days, as reported by LaChaune DuHart, director of veterans affairs.
These frustrations lead many veterans to quit college, with some opting for work over education due to VA inefficiencies. Phillip Morris, University of Colorado associate professor, noted, “If you can’t pay your rent because your benefits are not flowing the way you’re expecting them to, that’s increasing anxiety and stress that translates to the classroom.”
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