VA extends benefit debt relief through end of the year

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If you owe benefit-related debt to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and otherwise qualify, you now have until Dec. 31 to pay it back, VA announced Aug. 29.

The financial difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic drove VA to temporarily suspend the requirement that certain Veterans pay this money back right away.

Veterans might accrue debt with VA for past-due health care copayments or if VA paid the Veteran or an educational institution the Veteran attended more in compensation than the circumstances warranted.

With VA’s announcement, the time period for the temporary hardship suspension is extended to Dec. 31, 2022, from Sept. 30.

“Helping Veterans manage, pay off, and — in some cases — eliminate their debt is one of our top priorities,” said VA Secretary Denis McDonough in a news release. “Extending this hardship suspension is a key part of that critical effort, and it will help ease the burden for Veterans who are living with debt.”

VA noted that it has already canceled some Veteran-owed debt, made it easier for Veterans to manage debt, and issued regulations making it less likely that Veterans’ medical debt would affect their credit scores.

For instance, VA canceled medical care and pharmacy copayments owed for services received during April 6, 2020, and Sept. 30, 2021, saving 1.5 million Veterans roughly $1 billion, officials said. A final rule published Feb. 2 resulted in a 99% reduction in unfavorable debt being reported to the credit bureaus.

VA has also streamlined the review process for debt forgiveness and improved online and other tools Veterans can use to find out what they owe in debt.

Learn more

• Visit VA’s “manage your VA debt” page to sign in to review your debt, make payments, request financial help and read frequently asked questions: https://www.va.gov/manage-va-debt

• Read “VA extends temporary hardship suspension for benefit debts,” news release, Aug. 29, 2022: https://www.va.gov/opa/pressrel/pressrelease.cfm?id=5817

• Read “VA establishes new threshold for reporting benefit and medical debt,” news release, Feb. 2, 2022: https://www.va.gov/opa/pressrel/pressrelease.cfm?id=5758

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Veterans Affairs (VA) Finance

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Edited >1 y ago

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Cpl Vic Burk

Posted >1 y ago

Through the pandemic I paid my co-pays because I didn't want to get stuck with a huge bill all at once. When the V.A. announced they would waive all fees I did get a refund. The problem delay in paying is if a Veteran can't pay their bill today, how will they pay it next January with additional charges for the last four months of this year. The Veteran is just digging a deeper hole for themselves hoping the government will waive these fees I think which may or may not happen. If we have billions to send to other countries, why not help those who served and fought for our country, first?
Sgt (Join to see) SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth SGT (Join to see) Cpl James R. " Jim" Gossett Jr CPL Douglas Chrysler SPC Michael Terrell SPC Nancy Greene GySgt Thomas Vick GySgt Jack Wallace PO1 William "Chip" Nagel MGySgt (Join to see) SPC Woody Bullard SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL MAJ Ken Landgren SPC Margaret Higgins PO2 Marco Monsalve SMSgt Anil Heendeniya Lt Col Charlie Brown Maj Robert Thornton SGT Mark Anderson

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1SG Raymond Deien

>1 y

Hey Cpl. That's a valid point and I can't blame you for asking. However the entire country is on that path... what about me, what about me! Most everybody wants a free ride at one time or another. The folks at the top need to grow a pair regardless what color they are and stop the giving the taxpayers money. The only reason they are giving it away is because it isn't coming out of their pocket.
1SG Ray Deien (Retired)

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