VA and Defense Department officials hope new automation tools will alleviate the slow application process veterans and service members have experienced since the implementation of the new Post-9/11 GI Bill education benefits in August 2009. With 153,000 veterans applying for the benefits since their inception, overwhelmed VA staffers had to process the paperwork manually. Now, VA Secretary Eric K. Shinseki says, redundant steps have been eliminated. The automation process is beginning this month, with more improvements coming in July, November, and December. The GI Bill application system should be fully automated by year’s end.
