The Department of Veterans Affairs has been approached by lawmakers asking for a comprehensive schedule of home loan fee refunds to disabled veterans who were erroneously charged related fees.
According to an article published by Military Times, “In a June 6 report issued by the VA Inspector General, auditors stated an estimated 72,900 exempt veterans were incorrectly charged an estimated $286 million in funding fees for their VA home loans from 2012 through 2017. Veterans are exempt from paying a funding fee if they’re entitled to receive VA disability compensation. During that period, VA issued about $97 million in refunds to 19,700 of those veterans, leaving an estimated 53,200 who may still get refunds.”
A letter sent to VA Secretary Robert Wilkie last month stated, “While we recognize that VA has largely agreed to implement the [Inspector General’s] recommendations, it is unclear when veterans will see their reimbursement…” This document was signed by an array of senators and representatives, including Rep. Mark Takano, D-Calif., the chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, and Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., the ranking member of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.
According to some sources, it is believed that staff members on the committee will receive a briefing on the issue this week. In addition to a repayment plan and schedule, lawmakers have also asked for information on VA’s plan to prevent this from happening again in the future. In an earlier response, VA officials stated that they expect to implement their plan for refunds by the end of the month but did not state when the refunds would be issued.
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Relevant pages: Veterans Disability