After months of waiting to be paid, student veterans under the Post 9-11 GI Bill finally received a check from the Department of Veterans Affairs.
As announced Sept. 25 by VA Secretary Eric Shinseki, 57 national Veterans Benefits Administrations opened its doors Oct. 2 to issue $3,000 emergency checks as advanced VA payments to students who are owed their benefits.
Cal State Long Beach student veteran Adam Renteria, a senior history major, was one of hundreds of veterans waiting in line at the Los Angeles Veterans Affairs Regional Office.
Over the summer, Renteria saved just enough money to last him until the beginning of the semester, which was when his benefits were expected to roll in. But due to federal setbacks, Renteria and many other student veterans never received their benefits and were unable to pay their bills.
“We all had the same story,” he said about the people standing around him in line. “We were all banking on this benefit. We needed this — everyone was behind [on payments].”
Renteria arrived downtown at 10:30 a.m. and discovered about 500 veterans standing before him in line.
At 4:30 p.m., Renteria finally entered the VA and a room with 20 computer stations and 30 staff members running the operation.
Renteria said he couldn’t help notice how understanding the staff was and, in return, how grateful and humble the veterans were.
After about an hour, Renteria walked out of the VA building with a smile on his face and a $3,000 U.S. Bank check in his hand.
Although Renteria held an official VA letter requesting that his bank honor the check immediately, it was still subject to the five-day hold on the check deposit.
Renteria then dashed to a U.S. Bank a block down to where he was sure his check would cash. But to his surprise, that bank was also unable to fulfill his request.
“When I walked [into U.S. Bank] at 5:45 p.m.,” Renteria said, “the lady looked at me and said, ‘For the first time, we are all out of cash. All the veterans were trying to get cash today and we’ve maxed out. I’ve been working here for 20 years, and this is the first time this has ever happened.'”
Renteria said he couldn’t have been happier when the teller told him that.
“The fact that other veterans were there before me got helped was just an amazing experience,” he said.
The following day, Renteria successfully cashed his check and was able to pay off his bills, including an emergency loan he had taken out through CSULB in September.
Veterans University Director Patrick O’Rourke said he isn’t aware of any students who were qualified and did not receive their advanced payment Oct. 2.
“I was very happy that VA came through with the emergency plan for the veterans. At least now, veterans have money in their accounts,” O’Rourke said.
Matt Lorscheider, a first-year history graduate student, was also able to cash his emergency check, which he obtained two Fridays ago.
“I haven’t touched my car in months because I haven’t had money for gas,” he said. “I’ve had bills stacked up, but now hopefully I can get ahead instead of fall behind.”
But O’Rourke warned beneficiaries that the VA still has not decided how the $3,000 advancement is going to be taken out in future payments. Some students may be expecting monthly checks of less than what the VA is currently advancing them.
The temporary relief may burden students when the VA starts collecting back on the advancements. The emergency checks were mass-produced and given to any veteran who had photo identification and a class schedule despite certification.
“Veterans need to watch their money very carefully for the next couple months. If they aren’t careful, they may find themselves in serious financial troubles,” O’Rourke said.
VA is also offering online advancement requests for veterans who were unable to claim their checks Oct. 2. The online process is still active and a deadline has not been announced.
When recollecting his time outside of the VA office, Renteria said his six-hour waiting period was “actually a blessing in disguise.”
“The possibility came in my head around noon that once 6 p.m. came, [the VA] were going to shut their doors,” he said. “I asked three different staff members what time they were going to stop issuing checks. Each time they said to me, ‘we are going to stay here until everyone is served.'”
What was expected to be a long silent day turned out to be a memorable experience that inspired Renteria.
“All the vets were there and it solidified the fact that everyone needs to come together,” he said. “Student vets need to be able to talk to one another. We are all playing the same song on the same boat.”