Some veterans enrolled in a Department of Veterans Affairs technology training program received double housing allowance payments from 2019 to 2023, the result of a loophole that allowed them to collect their Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits at the same time.
The additional payments were not made in error -- they specifically weren't prohibited by federal law. The VA previously attempted to institute a policy to stop them but was dissuaded by its Office of General Counsel for fear of drawing a lawsuit and the VA being perceived as not being "veteran friendly," according to the report, published last month.
As a result, the loophole still stands. Although the VET TEC pilot is expected to end in April, Congress and the VA are deliberating the program's future, and the situation could set a precedent, the IG warned.
The program, launched in 2019, provides training in software development, programming, data processing and other technology programs. VET TEC covers tuition costs, along with a monthly housing stipend.
It is available to veterans who qualify for VA education assistance under the GI Bill and who have some unexpired GI Bill eligibility. Since the Post-9/11 GI Bill also provides a housing allowance to veteran students and some were enrolled in higher education programs while simultaneously participating in VET TEC, the VA paid the veterans housing allowances for both programs.
The VA has no plans to recoup the money. A VA spokesman told Military.com on Tuesday that, while the law created an "inconsistency" compared with other VA educational benefits programs that prohibit concurrent payments, the law in this case allowed them.
I hope all the veterans involved in this program were aware they were receiving more funds than usual (within legal boundaries) and made good use of the money.
