Allen Smith, Georgia College Student, Returns $690,000,000 VA Check (VIDEO)

WTVM.com-Columbus, GA News Weather

Allen Smith received quite a shock when his monthly check from Veteran Affairs showed up. It wasn't for the usual amount of $650 but a whopping half a billion dollars, instead.

"He immediately, immediately went to the VA officer at Fort Benning -- not the local person for the State of Georgia -- and turned in the check," Smith's mother, Patricia, told WTVM.

Smith, 22, receives a monthly VA dependency check for college expenses from the US Treasury Department because his father served in the U.S. Air force. This month, however, was different -- the check showed a staggering $690,000,000.

Patricia Smith told WISTV that she is proud of her son for turning the check in and knows his father is smiling down on him.

"I have talked to the general inspector VA. He is going to make sure that check gets back to where it belongs," she added.

Inspectors at Veteran Affairs aren't sure what happened with the hefty check. According to KLTV, it could have either been a misprint, or the system could have been hacked.