Two Oregon community colleges are suing the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs over efforts to take back millions in GI Bill benefits that the department says it overpaid by more than $10 million for helicopter and airplane flight training programs, The Oregonian reported.
The department had asked to be repaid roughly $6 million by Portland Community College $3.2 million by Central Oregon Community College, $1.3 million by Klamath Community College, and $275,000 by Lane Community College.
The two schools suing are Klamath and Portland. The lawsuits follow a long-running fight between the VA and four Oregon community colleges’ flight schools. The colleges have spent hundreds of thousands fighting the agency’s efforts.
Portland Community College has stopped taking GI benefits for its aviation science program.
As for those in the programs, veterans have been severely affected by the fight, one former student said, causing mental health issues and forcing some to abandon plans to become pilots.