Bilirakis and Levin Continue Improving Educational Opportunities and Processes for Veterans

Press Release

The two leaders of the House VA Economic Opportunities Subcommittee, Ranking Member Gus Bilirakis and Chairman Mike Levin, have established a strong track record of working together in a bipartisan manner to improve the benefits and services available to Veterans. The pair filed common sense legislation earlier today that will make utilizing the GI Bill easier. The Streamlining GI Bill Processing Act requires the VA to ensure all eligible Veterans receive an electronic copy of their certificate of eligibility. Schools require Veterans to submit a verification form prior to using the GI Bill to pay for classes. Under current law, the VA must mail this form to students upon request. If a Veteran loses the certificate, or needs to access it again later in their educational career, he or she must call the VA again and have it re-sent. In addition to adding convenience for Veterans, this small change will result in sensible cost savings for the VA.

"This legislation is a win-win. It makes the process of using GI Bill benefits easier for Veterans and it will free up the money the VA is wasting on mailing and administration to be used for a more worthwhile purpose. As good stewards of taxpayer dollars, we have an obligation to keep looking for ways we can improve efficiency for our nation's Veterans," said Congressman Bilirakis.

"This bipartisan bill is a commonsense step we can take to make life easier for student veterans. It may seem like a small step, but providing veterans with an electronic copy of their GI Bill eligibility certificate will help countless veterans receive the higher education benefits they have earned and deserve. I'm grateful for Congressman Bilirakis's partnership on this legislation, and look forward to advancing it on behalf of all student veterans," said Chairman Levin.

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