Washington ? The Veterans Affairs Department said Friday it would begin issuing emergency checks of up to $3,000 to Iraq and Afghanistan veterans whose payments under the new GI Bill have been delayed.

Tens of thousand of veterans from the recent wars have been waiting for payments under the newly enacted Post 9/11 GI Bill, which was the largest expansion of education benefits since World War II.

“It’s clear to me that we have to do something, just to be on the safe side to alleviate any stress that students are facing,” Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki said late Friday afternoon in an interview.

The checks will be distributed starting next Friday at 57 regional VA offices across the country. To help with transportation issues, the VA said it expects to send representatives to schools with large veteran populations and work with veterans’ service organizations to help students with transportation needs.