Department Of Veterans Affairs Unable To Handle Increased Number Of Disability Claims, Experts Testify At House Hearing

Main Category: Veterans / Ex-Servicemen
Also Included In: Rehabilitation / Physical Therapy
Article Date: 16 Mar 2007 - 2:00 PDT

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Officials from the Government Accountability Office and Harvard University professor Linda Bilmes testified before the House Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Disability Assistance on Tuesday that the Department of Veterans' Affairs' system for handling disability claims is not sufficient to serve troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, the AP/Philadelphia Inquirer reports. The subcommittee is one of several congressional panels investigating the treatment of service members at VA and military hospitals. Witnesses at the hearing detailed their study finding that the VA claims system is "on the verge of crisis due to backlogs, cumbersome paperwork and ballooning costs," the AP/Inquirer reports. The VA took 127 to 177 days to process an initial disability claim and an average of 657 days to process an appeal, compared with 89.5 days to process a claim in the private sector, panelists testified. The VA has a backlog of 600,000 claims. In addition, officials testified that the VA will have 638,000 first-time claims in the next five years because of the Iraq war, including 400,000 by the end of 2009. The cost of the additional claims will be $70 billion to $150 billion. In addition, panelists testified that the VA claims system was complex and inconsistent across regions, adding that the VA uses outdated technology for processing claims. Rep. John Hall (D-N.Y.), chair of the House subcommittee, said, "When our soldiers and military personnel return home and need help, they should get the assistance they have earned without delay." Hall mentioned the possibility that the VA be merged into the Defense Department. Ronald Aument, deputy undersecretary for benefits at the VA, said the department is working to shorten the claim review period and that it plans to hire 400 new employees by the end of June. He said, "Expediting the claims process is critical to assisting veterans in their transition from combat operations back to civilian life" (Yen, AP/Philadelphia Inquirer, 3/14).

Hearing at Walter Reed
In related news, injured soldiers and their families during a hearing held by a Defense Department commission at Walter Reed on Tuesday described "bureaucratic missteps and problems with patient treatment" while receiving care at the facility, the Washington Post reports. The panel has created a Web site and a hot line for public comment. The group, which is required to report its findings to Gates in mid-April, is scheduled to meet again on Wednesday at the National Navel Medical Center (Vogel/White, Washington Post, 3/14).

Lawmakers Visiting Military, VA Facilities
The Baltimore Sun on Wednesday examined how while "Congress holds hearings on conditions" at Walter Reed and other facilities, senators and representatives are "fanning out to Veterans Affairs hospitals around the country, getting firsthand looks at the long-term care and treatment received by the nation's wounded soldiers." According to the Sun, lawmakers were led to act by the Washington Post series and "by constituents, who are calling to talk about their experiences with military health care" (Hay Brown, Baltimore Sun, 3/14).

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