May 22, 2013

Lawmakers Unveil Plan to Tackle the VA Claims Backlog

Washington, D.C.  – Joined by veteran groups on Capitol Hill, House lawmakers unveiled a legislative package today designed to help the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (VA) accomplish its goal to eliminate the backlog by 2015. All ten bills in the package have now been introduced, and a summary of the plan can be found here.

“I applaud the VA’s ambitious goal, but the time for relying on them to get the job done alone is over,” said Rep. Mike Michaud (Maine-02), the Ranking Member of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, who spearheaded the introduction of the legislative package. “Congress needs to act in order to get veterans the benefits they’ve earned faster. This legislation represents a pragmatic and commonsense approach that members of Congress of all political stripes should support.”

“The backlog of claims at the VA is a stain on the conscience of our country—and it is our responsibility to promote innovation and to empower the VA to reduce and eliminate the backlog once and for all,” said Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi.  “Enacting these proposals will enable us to ensure timely access to the critical benefits our service members have earned, to fulfill our commitments to our men and women in uniform, and to serve our veterans as well as they have served us.”

“For veterans in Nevada, the average time to process and complete a claim is 513 days. This is simply unacceptable. Our veterans should not have to wait to receive the assistance they have earned. I'm proud to join my colleagues today to announce a series of bills designed to reduce the backlog and ensure that veterans are compensated in a timely fashion," said Rep. Dina Titus (NV-01), who introduced the "Pay As You Rate Act," which will require the VA to pay veterans as individual medical conditions are adjudicated, rather than waiting for the entire package to be processed.

“Arizona’s District One has nearly 70,000 veterans. These men and women have sacrificed so much—it’s impossible to count the ways. In return, they deserve to have the help and resources they need. Their claims should be resolved in a timely matter, not stuck in a lengthy backlog. Delayed care is denied care,” said Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick (AZ-01), who introduced the VA Claims, Operations and Records Efficiency Act, or VA CORE. Kirkpatrick’s bill directs the Defense Department to enact a timely electronic transfer of complete service treatment records to the VA instead of the outdated paperwork process that is currently used.

“I represent more than 80,000 veterans in the El Paso region, many of whom have waited an average of 449 days to get a response on their benefits claims. I introduced the Veterans Benefits Claims Faster Filing Act to provide veterans with information about how long it takes to process claims in different formats in order to incentivize them to use the fastest and most efficient method—a fully developed claim filed electronically. The VA can quickly turn around these claims, often in 100 days or less. We owe a tremendous amount to our veterans. We must uphold our end of the bargain by ensuring they receive the benefits they have earned in a timely manner,” said Rep. Beto O’Rourke (TX-16).