Communication from the VA Debt Management Center 4/9/2020

Greetings from the VA Debt Management Center (DMC),

In response to the current environment with COVID-19,  the VA Debt Management Center (DMC) is suspending all actions on Veteran debts under the jurisdiction of the Treasury Department for sixty days.  This suspension covers institutions as well as Veterans.  We will evaluate extension of this timeline should the situation with COVID-19 warrant. If the suspension is extended, we will update our website (www.va.gov/debtman) to reflect the change and automatically extend suspensions for affected Veterans and institutions. 

We are also suspending collection action or extending repayment terms on preexisting VA debts for Veterans, as the Veteran prefers. Please continue to encourage Veterans and family members affected by COVID-19 (Coronavirus) who have a VBA benefit debt and need temporary financial relief to contact the DMC at 1-800-827-0648 to request assistance.  

The DMC has received questions from institutions about alternatives to receiving letters via U.S. Mail and submitting  payments and wanted to also provide updates on these topics:

Letters

We do not currently have the ability to send our notification letters electronically, and continue to send notifications via U.S. mail at this time.  We are able to provide a list of outstanding debts by facility code upon request to assist institutions in monitoring accounts, please email DMCEDU.VBASPL@va.gov (our dedicated email for School Certifying Officials) to request a list and include your institution’s facility code.   

Payments

While we strongly encourage sending the remittance coupon from DMC’s letters with check payments, we understand that in the current environment this may not be possible.  If your institution is unable to send the remittance coupon, please include documentation with the check listing the student’s name, SSN or last four, your institution’s name, and facility code.  Institutions also have the ability to pay online at www.pay.va.gov via credit card or ACH.

Thank you for your partnership in serving Veterans and their families during this difficult time.

Sincerely,

The VA Debt Management Center Outreach Team