Today, Rep. Phil Roe M.D. (R-Tenn.), the Ranking Member of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, released the following statement encouraging the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the U.S. Department of the Treasury to continue working together to expedite processing of stimulus payments for veterans without any further delay.
Last week, VA and the Treasury announced that veterans who receive compensation and pension benefits from VA but who are not required to file an annual federal tax return would have their stimulus payments automatically deposited in their bank accounts. However, veterans with dependents and students who use the GI bill but who do not file annual tax returns must still fill out an additional form on the IRS website to receive their full stimulus payments.
“I thank Secretary Wilkie for working together with Secretary Mnuchin to find a way to automatically process stimulus payments for veterans who do not file annual federal tax returns and for agreeing yesterday to act with urgency to process those payments without any further delay and to issue clear guidance to veterans with dependents and veterans who rely on the GI Bill to make sure they are not left behind,” said Ranking Member Roe. “Veterans who do not file annual tax returns are among the most vulnerable and many of them are staring down the start of a new month without having received the money that President Trump and Congress provided to help them stay afloat during this crisis. Since last week’s announcement that those veterans would have their stimulus payments processed automatically, I have been unable to get a firm answer from VA or from the IRS about when veterans would be paid. I’m particularly troubled to learn that VA does not yet have a firm date by which it will send information to the Treasury on beneficiaries who have a fiduciary or representative payee that will allow for automatic processing of their stimulus payments. I have also learned that those with dependents and those who receive GI Bill payments are still required to fill out the Non-Filer form. Out of an abundance of caution, I encourage every veteran who does not file a tax return and who has yet to receive their stimulus payment to visit www.irs.gov and fill out the Non-Filer form immediately."
The IRS Non-Filer Form can be found here and all those veterans who do not file an annual federal tax return – but especially those with dependents and those who receive GI Bill benefits- should submit it as soon as possible to ensure their stimulus payment is processed quickly and accurately by the IRS.
Background:
Veterans whose taxable income is below $12,200 for individuals and $24,400 for married couples are not required to file a federal tax return. VA and the Treasury announced on April 17th that veterans who receive compensation and pension benefits and do not typically file federal tax returns will receive their stimulus check automatically without any further action required. However, those veterans will only receive the potential additional $500 per eligible dependent if they complete the Non-Filer form. Further, those who are GI Bill beneficiaries are still required to file the Non-Filer form on the IRS website to receive their stimulus money. For more information about Economic Impact Payments, click here.
