Hundreds of Fayetteville-area students may have been impacted by delays in Department of Veterans Affairs educational benefits during the federal government shutdown.
The program, known as Chapter 35, provides monthly funds directly to the survivors and dependents of military service members who have died or been totally disabled as a result of service. The program assists some 75,000 students across the country, helping cover tuition and other expenses at colleges and trade schools, according to a report last month in Stars and Stripes.
At Fayetteville Technical Community College, 1,105 students receive these benefits, while Fayetteville State University has 680 using the program.
“There’s been some delays as I understand it, and I can’t give you the number but we’ve had those students come and ask for assistance on the food pantry, ask for emergency assistance,” FTCC President Mark A. Sorrells told CityView by phone on Thursday.
The impact of the government shutdown at FTCC went far beyond delayed Chapter 35 benefits, Sorrells said, as about a third of the community college’s students—over 13,000 as of two years ago—are military affiliated.
The report from Stars and Stripes attributed the delay to a software issue that could not be resolved while technicians were furloughed. In a response to CityView, the VA said there were multiple factors contributing to the slowdown in delivering the payments.
“Some [Chapter 35 benefits] are behind schedule due to the combined effects of converting claims from the legacy system to a new claims processing system, a high volume of fall enrollments,” and the government shutdown, Pete Kasperowicz, VA press secretary, said in an email.
The current average processing time for benefit claims is 49 days, Kasperowicz said, and the shutdown prevented “additional systems enhancements” from being implemented to automate the claims. The delay will not be resolved until late November or early December, he added.
Kasperowicz did not provide information on how many total students in North Carolina receive Chapter 35 benefits or how many have experienced delays.
Janet Brinkley, associate director of the Military Affiliated and Veteran Student Resource Center at FSU, confirmed that students at the university experienced issues with the payments, but did not share any additional information on the number of affected students, citing the fact that Chapter 35 benefits are paid directly to students and not schools. The number of students on Chapter 35 benefits at FSU represents roughly 10% of the total student population of 6,726.
A university spokesperson added that FSU delayed when some university payments were due for students with paused benefits. In the meantime, students are able to register for classes normally and can pay for educational expenses once the benefits resume, the spokesperson said.
Around 20% of Methodist University’s roughly 2,300 students are military affiliated. The university did not provide specific information to CityView about how many use Chapter 35 benefits or were affected by the delays.
Brad Johnson, director of marketing and communications, wrote in an email to CityView that Methodist University covered any gaps for students who use Military Tuition Assistance, a separate program that covers tuition for active-duty service members.
While new applications could not be processed, “not one soldier had to take out a loan to remain in the classroom due to the shutdown,” Johnson said.
FTCC also saw significant issues with the halt of Military Tuition Assistance and other programs for active-duty service members and spouses—impacting about 740 students total, according to the community college’s president. The timing of the shutdown came just as FTCC students had signed up for half-semester courses in October.
“There was a way we could put them on deferred payment as long as payment comes in at the end of the term,” Sorrells said.
“Literally, we were going to lose those 740 students in the second term if we had not found a way to keep them in class.”
The Military Tuition Assistance program covers courses by credit and is paid directly to institutions. Sorrells said FTCC is working with Sen. Ted Budd’s office to try and retroactively receive the tuition assistance that the college—and others across the country—missed.
The federal shutdown began Oct. 1 after the House and Senate were unable to approve a stop-gap bill to fund the government. At 43 days, it was the longest shutdown in history before it ended on Wednesday.
Active-duty military service members were required to work through the shutdown without pay. While the VA did shutter some services—such as regional offices—VA hospitals and clinics remained open and all VA benefits continued during the shutdown. But the technical issues and lack of staff slowed down the delivery of Chapter 35 benefits.
The Chapter 35 benefits are available based on a formula depending on the kind of program the student is enrolled in and how many classes they are taking. At the current rate, a full-time student at a college or vocational school receives $1,574 a month.