Multiple students have voiced concerns over Howard University’s mishandling of their veteran’s benefits, resulting in the institution losing its GI Bill status.
Military.com — a news and resource website dedicated to military members, veterans, and families — conducted an investigation that showed how the DC-based college committed numerous, costly clerical errors which have negatively impacted the veterans’ hard-earned education awards.
The students complain that school officials have made crucial mistakes in their paperwork that cost them their accommodation. Some even reported their documents have been misplaced. Because of this, Howard must settle its eligibility issues with the Veterans Affairs (VA) Office before the government will restore its GI Bill funding for the school.
What’s Next?
The State Approving Agency (SAA) of the District of Columbia officially revoked Howard’s authority to welcome new student veterans and use their GI Bill benefits in April. The decision took effect on June 15 and has given the school 60 days to resolve the matter to avoid a longer suspension.
Sunday will mark the end of the 60-day window, and while the university is attempting to conform to the requirements, Howard administration claims that new rules have taken them by surprise.
“This is not something we’re very happy about; we expect this weekend to have a final decision on our status. From our understanding, there are new requirements that weren’t there before. It’s very unique to this year. We had to go on a 60-day suspension to complete the rest of the work,” university spokesman Frank Tramble told Military.com.
Tramble did not specify the changes but stated that Howard has since refiled its application with the D.C. SAA. A final decision will likely be made before the end of the week.