The number of veterans’ disability claims taking more than four months to complete has doubled, prompting criticism from veterans and Congress that the Department of Veterans Affairs failed to prepare for a rise in cases it knew was coming.
“Without question, I believe that the VA disability claims system is broken,” Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., chairwoman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, said Wednesday.
The number of claims that take more than 125 days to decide has gone from 200,000 a year ago to 450,000 today, according to administration budget documents. As a result, veterans must wait even longer to receive payments for disabilities.
It has been broken for years……trust me……I’m a disabled veteran!
But we have plenty of money to get into new wars and just keep hanging on in old wars…lots of money to give to Brazil to help them look for oil…lots of money to buy GM and bail out banks…foreign banks…plenty of money to keep supporting illegal migrants…plenty of money to pay welfare benefits…plenty of money to force the homosexual agendas on the people…plenty of money to pay for NPR and the NEA…plenty of money to disregard court orders and stop domestic oil production…but NO MONEY FOR VETERANS!!!
“So long, suckers, and thanks for giving us your eyes, ears, hands, arms, feet, legs, brains, and blood so that we could further our corporate aims with military adventurism. But hey, you volunteered.”
I cannot believe that I was so blinded by love of country and belief in the Republic that I ever offered my life for it. The Republic was a dream. Now, all that is left is a memory of an ideal…a foolish fancy. We should have just let the Soviets win.
A lot of the results depend upon how effective the local Veterans’ Service Office is. We are blessed to have a great one that has been very effective; a recent career employee who retired (and volunteers now) was honored nationally for her veterans advocacy. Of course, now the state and county want to cut funding for VSOs. Yes, let’s punish success.
I was helped immeasurably by the Disabled American Veterans Service Officer when I was a patient at the Jerry L. Pettis VA Medical Center in Loma Linda, CA in 1980, and I became a Life Member on the spot.
Veterans who need help in submitting VA claims are best served by contacting any veterans’ organization……DAV, The American Legion, AmVets, VFW……all of them are good. They are there to help.
No sweat, we’ll just shut the government down and make them suffer even longer.
Veterans helping veterans…….a lot smoother and faster than government clerks doing the job.
The VA has done a very good job of supporting the needs of my disabled oldest son.