"The Veterans Affairs Department said it issued a solicitation for temporary contractor support to help process what it called an unprecedented volume of educational benefit claims it has received since the post-9/11 GI bill went into effect," Nextgov reports. "The contract 'will assist VA in delivering education benefits to our veterans as quickly as possible,' said Patrick Dunne, undersecretary for benefits. ... The department said the temporary GI bill contractor will provide its own work site and personnel to perform claims processing tasks. Contract staff will validate enrollment information provided by schools and make recommendations on claim status to VA personnel, who will finalize claims decisions and generate payments. The contractor will review and authorize all work performed by its personnel. VA will offer training on security and claims processing procedures to contract personnel, who will assist in handling only the least complex cases. Calculating benefits under the new GI bill, called the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act is a more complex task than claims filed under the Montgomery GI bill, VA officials have said since the new bill was passed in July 2008."