About a month has passed since college began, but the Department of Veteran Affairs has paid education benefits to fewer than half of former Iraq and Afghanistan veterans who requested aid under the new post-9/11 G.I. Bill.

According to VA estimates, 25,000 veterans have still not received money for tuition and other school expenses. Another 60,000 veterans are waiting for money that is owed to them under the older version of the G.I. Bill.

“If you served your country, they (the U.S. government) promised to pay,” says Jeff Kohler, 23, a Navy veteran of the Iraq war who now attends Ohio State University. The $43,000 in tuition fees, housing, and other expenses that were promised to him under the new G.I. Bill have yet to arrive. Kohler is currently using money from federal grants to pay his tuition bills while his father is helping him out with money that he’s receiving from his disability income.

According to Keith Wilson, the director of the VA Education Service office, veterans’ benefits were delayed because the VA didn’t hire enough people to process their claims. However, he notes that the VA has begun to build a larger staff and bring back retired claims officers.

“VA believes any delays … are unacceptable,” says VA press secretary Katie Roberts.

While there are no reports of anyone being denied access to colleges because of late GI payments, many veterans are complaining that they are being forced to use credit cards, personal savings, or other sources of funding to make ends meet until their benefits kick in.

Wilson says that the average delay in processing claims is a little over a month, but some people have been told by the VA that they may not receive payment until November. Meanwhile, many schools are working to provide emergency funds for veterans until their benefits arrive.

Are you a veteran who is waiting on tuition money from the VA? Let us know!