{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.smith.senate.gov/us-senator-tina-smith-we-must-ensure-veterans-receive-full-housing-benefits", "U.S. Senator Tina Smith: We Must Ensure Veterans Receive Full Housing Benefits", "2018-12-03", "2018", "2018-12", "Democrat", "House", "MN", "Tina Smith", "S001203", "www.smith.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C. [12/03/18]\u2014U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) is helping to lead a bipartisan push to get the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to quickly clarify how it intends to \u201cmake whole\u201d the more than 360,000 veterans in Minnesota and across the country who are at risk of being denied the full housing benefits they\u2019ve earned.\n\nIn response to recent reports that the VA plans to withhold retroactive payments for missed or underpaid monthly housing benefits from some veterans because it would create a backlog, Sen. Smith joined 12 of her Congressional colleagues in asking the VA\u2019s Inspector General to investigate and clarify how it will ensure full benefits are paid.\n\nLast week, a top VA benefits official told the House Veterans Affairs Committee that veterans still awaiting payments would be made whole, but he was unclear on whether the VA would pay the higher rates that went into effect in August, or the lower benefits provided previously.\n\n\u201cThe VA\u2019s continued ambiguity about whether it will fulfill this legal requirement threatens to erode our veterans\u2019 confidence in the VA\u2019s ability to deliver promised care and benefits and demands close oversight and accountability,\u201d wrote Sen. Smith and her colleagues to the VA\u2019s Inspector General. \u201cIt is important that VA fix the technical and staffing shortages that contributed to its inability to implement the Forever GI bill so that it can continue to provide housing stipends to veterans. However, we remain resolved that VA make veterans whole for any missed or underpaid benefits based on the housing stipend rates that they were legally entitled to when the changes took effect in August 2018.\u201d\n\nIn addition to Sen. Smith, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) led the letter signed by John Boozman (R-Ark.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Todd Young (R-Ind.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), and Doug Jones (D-Ala.) and U.S. Representative Derek Kilmer (D-Wash.).\n\nYou can read the full text of the letter here or below:\n\nDear Mr. Missal:\n\nWe are writing to request an investigation into allegations that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) will withhold retroactive payments for missed or underpaid monthly housing stipends that it failed to pay veterans during delayed implementation of the Harry W. Colmery Veterans Education Assistance Act (P.L. 115-48), known as the \u201cForever GI Bill.\u201d\n\nAccording to NBC News on November 28, 2018 (\u201cVeterans Affairs Dept. tells Capitol Hill it won\u2019t repay underpaid GI Bill benefits recipients\u201d), VA officials told congressional staff that making retroactive payments to veterans for missed or underpaid housing stipends would not be possible because it would create auditing challenges for the VA and delay future claims processing. That decision would be contrary to law and leave an estimated 360,000 veterans robbed of the benefits owed to them.\n\nWe understand that Under Secretary for Benefits Paul Lawrence, in testimony before the House Veterans Affairs Committee yesterday, sought to clarify the VA\u2019s position by stating that every veteran will be made whole, including with retroactive payments, for their housing benefits. However, it remains unclear if VA intends to provide retroactive payments to veterans for housing stipends based on rates that they were legally entitled to beginning August 1, 2018, or if the VA only intends to make veterans whole based on the rates as they existed before the law took effect\u2014and remain in violation of existing law.\n\nIt is important that VA fix the technical and staffing shortages that contributed to its inability to implement the Forever GI bill so that it can continue to provide housing stipends to veterans. However, we remain resolved that VA make veterans whole for any missed or underpaid benefits based on the housing stipend rates that they were legally entitled to when the changes took effect in August 2018. The VA\u2019s continued ambiguity about whether it will fulfill this legal requirement threatens to erode our veterans\u2019 confidence in the VA\u2019s ability to deliver promised care and benefits and demands close oversight and accountability.\n\nIn an effort to help us better understand VA\u2019s plan to provide complete relief to those veterans impacted by the delayed implementation of the Forever GI Bill, we request your assistance to answer the following:\n\n1. Does the VA intend to apply the August 1, 2018, housing stipend rates, as required by law, for retroactive payments to eligible beneficiaries?\n\n2. If not, under what legal authority would the VA withhold retroactive payments based on the rates required in the Forever GI Bill?\n\n3. Who will be responsible for determining which veterans can receive retroactive payments for missed or underpaid benefits, including adjusted housing stipend rates that took effect on August 1, 2018?\n\n4. How and when will VA process these retroactive repayments to eligible veterans?\n\n5. How, if at all, have IT infrastructure investment decisions at VA\u2019s regional processing centers contributed to the current delay in implementing the changes required by the Forever GI Bill, including missed or underpayments owed to veterans?\n\n6. How, if at all, have staffing shortages at VA\u2019s regional processing centers contributed to the current delay in implementing the changes required by the Forever GI Bill, including missed or underpayments owed to veterans?\n\n7. How, if at all, is VA leadership organized and prepared to address IT infrastructure investment challenges at its regional processing centers in its fiscal year (FY) 2020 budget request?\n\n8. How, if at all, is VA leadership organized and prepared to address staffing shortages across the VA system, including at the Veterans Benefits Administration that is responsible for processing claims and retroactive payments to veterans, in its FY 2020 budget request?\n\nAs always, we appreciate your support of our oversight responsibilities. Your prompt attention to this request will help us as we prepare to consider the VA\u2019s FY 2020 budget request so that we can evaluate whether the VA has requested the appropriate resources that it needs to make timely beneficiary payments and deliver other promised care to our veterans.\n\nSincerely,\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-06-27T23:11:43Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.smith.senate.gov/us-senator-tina-smith-we-must-ensure-veterans-receive-full-housing-benefits"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.0932629704475403, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}