Q: I submitted VA form 22-1990 requesting VA educational Benefits (GI Bill) to the VA Western Region Processing Office in Muskogee, OK, as per the Navy College Office representative instructions, to pay for classes I am taking because I have used up my 16 credit hours of tuition assistance for the year. I sent the package on Aug. 10 via express mail. Today I received a package from the VA in the mail stating that I needed to send another VA form 22-1990 to the Eastern Region Processing Office in Buffalo, NY. I was quite confused by this so I gave the Navy College Office a call and they told me they did not know why I received this paperwork and to call the local VA Representative, Evaghn Thomas. I told her I just finished speaking with the Navy College Office regarding the VA form 22-1990 that I had received in the mail and she said, “Navy College Office, who is the Navy College Office, I don’t even know who that is or where they are.” Needless to say I was amazed and flabbergasted at the same time. How does the VA Representative not know who the Navy College Office is? She didn’t even know they existed or phone numbers or anything. She was however able to clear up my problem, but I am astounded that these two organizations that share a common interest serving our sailors or veterans have no interoperability between their organizations, let alone know the other organization exists. Secondly, the Navy College is telling Sailors to submit their paperwork to the wrong office (The Western Region Office). Ms. Thomas informed me that all VA claims for education Benefits from Japan need to be submitted to the Eastern Region Processing Office. Can something be done to rectify these discrepancies? Thank you.

A: The VA Representative, Ms. Yvonne Thomas, has sent an email requesting clarification, and the Navy College Office has emailed my chain of command as well. The VA education benefits for all service members and veterans will be coming from Muskogee in the near future. The VA Representative in Muskogee who first reviewed this person’s package may have seen the name of the college, University of Maryland, and rejected the application out-of-hand. In the future, the student can also contact the school, which has a VA trained representative to guide them on the VA applications and which region to use. I am sure with the help of the VA Representative at FFSC and the Navy College we will get the correct answer for all concerned. As for the phone number, the correct phone number for the VA Representative in Yokosuka is 243- 9617, or FFSC 243-6716 is provided as a back up. The Navy College Office and the VA work very closely together to take care of our Sailors and Veterans. We are also working diligently to resolve this matter. I hope this help. Please feel free to contact the Navy College Office with any concerns.