Payment delay crunches student-veterans

A Navy veteran who survived two tours in a combat zone found himself disenrolled from the University of New Mexico as the government proved unable to deliver the educational benefits he earned.

UNM cut Micah Shaw some slack, so he's back in good standing now even as the university waits to get paid. And Shaw is not alone as the federal Department of Veterans Affairs wrestles with the backlog of payments owed under the Post-9/11 GI Bill.

Shaw, 25, spent five years as a Navy corpsman serving two tours in Iraq and Kuwait where he was an emergency-room technician. When he got out he was looking forward to going to school at government expense.

"That was part of the reason I joined, was the whole idea of the GI Bill," Shaw told KRQE News 13. "'You served for four or five years, and we'll pay for college. It's covered.'"

Now Shaw is in plentiful company in feeling that Veterans Affairs hasn't held up its end of the deal. About 250,000 veterans signed up under the new GI Bill, and it's estimated as many as 20,000 will be waiting for overdue payments.

Shaw said he's on the hook for $6,000 for housing and $1,000 for books. The VA hasn't paid a dime toward his tuition, either.

"My second week at school I get an e-mail from UNM that says you've been disenrolled due to nonpayment," he said.

The problem is a combination of veterans coming home to a tough, job-short economy and the generous benefits in the Post-9/11 GI Bill included in part to keep recruiting up.

Beginning or continuing an education to start a civilian career has drawn veterans into colleges across the country.

"There have been a lot of veterans applying for the new GI Bill because of these great benefits," said Agnes Cardenas, education and training director for the New Mexico Department of Veterans' Services . "The VA has a lot of claims."

Cardenas estimated that thousands of veterans have not received GI Bill payments on time. In the meantime the federal department is cutting emergency checks to get the veterans through difficult financial times and has hired extra staff to deal with the backlog.

The money may not come soon enough for Shaw who is about to wrap up his fall semester. UNM has told him he will not be allowed to enroll in spring semester unless it gets paid.

The state Veterans Services office is telling students on the GI Bill who need help getting payments to go to the Veterans Affairs Web site, click "Contact Us" and explain their situation. They also can contact the federal office by phone at 888-442-4551 between 6 a.m. and 4 p.m. New Mexico time although the department warns callers should expect long hold times.