Press Releases

Today, Rep. Phil Roe, M.D. (R-Tenn.), the Ranking Member of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, released the following statement praising the successful implementation of changes to Monthly Housing Allowance payment rates for the Post-9/11 GI Bill last week:

“I applaud Secretary Wilkie, Under Secretary Lawrence, Charmain Bogue, and the team of contractors and VA staff for a job well done on the long-awaited rollout of changes and IT updates to the Monthly Housing Allowance payments required by the Forever GI Bill. The implementation of these changes challenged VA, but I am pleased that the Department rose to the occasion over the last year in working with me and other stakeholders to finally get this right. For some student veterans, these changes mean that their Monthly Housing Allowance payments could be lower than the payments they previously received. I encourage student veterans to be prepared and educate themselves on how these changes may impact them. I look forward to continuing to work to make sure that this important program helps student veterans across the country succeed and that all those who were shortchanged by VA’s delay in making these changes are made whole as soon as possible.”

To learn more about the changes to the Monthly Housing Allowance rate, click here.

Background:

On December 1, 2019, VA systems were updated to process new Monthly Housing Allowance payment rates in accordance with the Harry W. Colmery Veterans Education Assistance Act of 2017 – more commonly known as the Forever GI Bill - which was introduced by Ranking Member Roe and signed into law by President Trump on August 16, 2017. This law allowed student veterans to use their Post 9/11 GI Bill benefits whenever they choose for the first time in history, expanded benefits to survivors, and made numerous other improvements to VA education benefits.