Computer problems are delaying monthly checks for college tuition and housing allowances paid to the dependents of fully disabled veterans and the survivors of service members who died in the line of duty. A speaker at a whiteboard gives a seminar. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

WASHINGTON — Computer problems are delaying monthly checks for college tuition and housing allowances paid to the dependents of fully disabled veterans and the survivors of service members who died in the line of duty.

The education payments from the Department of Veterans Affairs, known as Chapter 35 benefits, are behind schedule due to problems with a new claims management system, according to the agency.

But students who are missing their October payments or who need to check on the status of their assistance as bills come due cannot contact the GI Bill hotline for help because it is closed amid the federal government shutdown.

“Our family has given to the country, and I want my daughter to get her education,” said Romy Hayward, of Florida, whose 21-year-old daughter, Rachel, applied for Chapter 35 benefits.

Chapter 35 provides a monthly stipend directly to students. The benefits are educational assistance for the survivors of deceased military members and the dependents of veterans who are 100% disabled. The payments offset the cost of college, vocational training and trade school.

Wayne Hayward of Florida served in the Marine Corps from 1989 to 1993 with deployments to the Middle East. Hayward’s status as a veteran with total and permanent disabilities makes his 21-year-old daughter eligible for educational assistance — known as Chapter 35 benefits — to pursue college, trade school and vocational training. But the federal government shutdown and an unexpected payment lapse due to computer problems is creating anxiety among beneficiaries. (Wayne Hayward)

Rachel’s father, Wayne Hayward, 55, is a Marine Corps veteran permanently and totally disabled from service-connected injuries. Rachel plans to begin training next month in Texas to become an offshore commercial diver and underwater welder.

But Peter Kasperowicz, VA press secretary, said the department anticipates it will take until late November or early December to resolve the problems affecting delivery of Chapter 35 payments.

Claims are being processed manually until the automated system is fixed. As of this week, VA’s average processing time for Chapter 35 claims is about 37 days, he said.

Although the GI Bill hotline responds to queries from students and their families, the service has been closed since the federal shutdown began Oct. 1. Staff who normally take calls are furloughed.

William Hubbard, vice president for veterans and military policy with the non-profit Veterans Education Success, is urging the VA to reopen the GI bill hotline. “People are unsure how to get help or where to go. It does not seem like an essential service, but this situation is proving the case.”

“With the hotline down, there’s a barrier to solutions,” said Tammy Barlet, vice president of government affairs for Student Veterans of America, which has chapters on 1,600 campuses. “When critical support goes silent, students are pushed closer to withdrawal.”

Students who are the spouses or children of post-911 service members who transferred their GI bill benefits to them also are being impacted by missed payments, according to veterans’ advocacy groups fielding calls for help from veterans and their families.

Effective Oct. 1, the rates for college, trade and vocational school are $1,574 per month for full-time enrollment, $1,244 for three-quarter enrollment and $912 for half-time enrollment, according to the VA.

“Our understanding is that the delay over education benefits is not shutdown-related but because of a glitch in the rollout of a new payment processing system,” Hubbard said. “The effect is that a student does not see a monthly payment to cover rent or tuition.”

VA promised Wednesday to fix the problem and get payments out to beneficiaries.

“Any student whose payment has been delayed will be paid in full as soon as possible,” Kasperowicz said.

Kasperowicz said the VA had anticipated “having the ability to pay staff overtime” to successfully deploy the new system, but that did not happen when employees were sent home in the government shutdown.

Rachel Hayward is hoping to start receiving Chapter 35 benefits by December to help pay for her training at Ocean Corporation in Houston. The family filed the application in September and was told to expect an answer in 30 days. Then the government shut down Oct. 1.

“We tried calling the GI Bill hotline but it’s out of service,” Romy Hayward said. Although the VA had confirmed receipt of her application, she is awaiting official approval for the benefits.

“Rachel thought she had everything lined up. She had been saving money for a year to finance her trip to Houston. She applied for federal aid and also received a scholarship. But the bulk of the money is the Chapter 35 payments,” Romy Hayward said. “We can’t get answers. The VA has gone silent.”

The Haywards have four daughters, ages 19 to 30. “All have relied on Chapter 35 benefits to help finance their education,” said Romy Hayward, adding that her husband represents the third generation of his family — dating back to World War I — to participate in military service.

But the October payment delay for current recipients combined with the lack of communication by the VA in the government shutdown has caused uncertainty among students and their families, Hubbard said.

“People are left to wonder on their own about the delivery of their payments,” Hubbard said. “The timing for this computer system update has been terrible. This is a perfect storm of bad events for students and their families.”