VA will use old system to deliver new tuition checks

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VA will use old system to deliver new tuition checks
By Leo Shane III, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Thursday, October 16, 2008

WASHINGTON — Veterans Affairs officials have backed off plans to hire outside help to upgrade the department’s GI Bill benefits system, saying they will rely on the current manual process to deliver checks next fall.

Last month department technical experts told lawmakers that private contractors would have to be brought in to help with the GI Bill transition, because the internal IT staff lacked the expertise and manpower to lead the move from the old education benefits system to a larger, completely automated one.

But in a statement last week, Secretary of Veterans Affairs James Peake said the department did not receive enough qualified outside proposals in its search for outside help, scrapping those plans.

"While it is unfortunate that we will not have the technical expertise from the private sector available to assist us in developing the information technology solution, the VA can and will deliver the benefits program on time," he said.

The new GI Bill benefits, passed by Congress in June, mandate a $1,000 monthly housing stipend and four years of tuition at any state university for all veterans who served at least three years on active duty since Sept. 11, 2001.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=58174