VONAPP website offers online GI Bill claim forms
The Basics
The Department of Veteran Affairs designed its Veterans On-line Application, or VONAPP, website to assist veterans and active duty military in applying for their GI bill benefits.VONAPP can be used to request many GI bill benefits including:
- service-disabled veterans insurance
- compensation and pension
- education
- health
- vocational rehab and employment services
- and burial benefits
The forms offered by the website are basically an on-line version of those that can be filled out on paper and submitted to a local VA office. The forms are different visually, but the questions are the same. The online service does suggest a slightly faster processing rate. Once the form is submitted on-line it is directly send to the VA office that has jurisdiction over the application.
Information cannot be changed once the form is submitted on-line. After a user completes and submits a form through VONAPP, it should be printed for personal records. Forms may also be saved to a computer’s hard drive.
After a submission is made the user receives a confirmation number that can be used to track the request. This number is not the same one the VA uses to process the application; it is used for tracking purposes only.
Find Schools
Find schools that accept GI Bill and military educational assistance.
Additional Information
Those who have already submitted an application, either on VONAPP or at a VA center, should not resubmit the claim on VONAPP. Doing so will slow down processing of a claim. To check on the status of a claim, call 1 (888) GI BILL 1.While VONAPP can be beneficial, it has experienced some issues. The passing of the Post-9/11 GI bill seems to have caused users to overwhelm the site. The Post-9/11 benefits claim application became available on May 1, and an influx of users taking advantage of VONAPP overwhelmed the system. Some users weren’t even allowed to log in to the system, much less fill out its forms.
VONAPP is only compatible with certain browser versions with a high level of security. The requirements can be found on the website.
The website guides the user through the process, and the answers to many questions can be found on its Frequently Asked Questions list.
