Excerpt: "... 50,000 veterans are still waiting for the VA to process their claims. That number will increase as more troops return home ..."

Hopefully, retired General Eric Shenseki (as new Secretary of Veterans Affairs) will repair some of the damages done to the VA under the Bush administration.  That damage included numerous cuts in veterans benefits.  In fact, the same week that Bush made his (May 1, 2003) "Mission Accomplished" photo op, he cut combat pay and vet benefits.  When Bush was criticized for the "Mission Accomplished" banner, he blamed the sailors on the USS Abraham Lincoln, saying they put up the banner.  That was bullshit, as the banner was made by Bush's staff.

General Shinseki, when he was Army Chief of Staff, told Don Rumsfeld that several hundred thousand troops would be required for a post-war Iraq.  Well ... Rummy and Paul Wolfowitz, Dick Cheney ... and other neocons weren't happy about that ... as they predicted the Iraqis would receive us as "liberators" ... with flowers, etc (yeah, neocons were true visionaries).  As the result of raining on the neocon parade, Shinseki's influence on the Joint Chiefs of Staff disintegrated and (it's said) he was forced to retire after 38 years of service.  Anyway ... now he's the guy that us vets will have to rely on, and I'm hoping he can make improvements at the VA.  The following article offers a tiny glimpse of hope.

-John

******** *

http://tinyurl.com/cjryl3

VA backlog must come to swift end.

Years after the problem was first identified, wounded veterans returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan are still facing horrendous waits for their disability claims.

This outrage has to end. The Veterans Affairs system has a backlog of about 800,000 claims. This often translates into six-month waits for veterans to get decisions on their cases. While millions of veterans receive good care through the VA and are satisfied with the coverage, the government has not been able to effectively respond to this new wave of veterans returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan. The country has to do better - much better.

Specifically, the government has received low marks for failing to boost services for post-traumatic stress disorder that can afflict veterans returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan. U.S. John Hall, D-Dover, and many others have called attention to this issue and want to see more funding and an extension of health benefits in this area. Veterans groups also are concerned about the suicide and attempted suicide rate of military personnel, many of whom have had multiple deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The VA is supposed to handle the health-care needs of about 5.8 million veterans, including more than 40,000 in Dutchess and Ulster counties. It's an awesome responsibility, and there's no question the Bush administration was unprepared to care for the influx of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans; the VA, in fact, has dealt with substantial budget shortfalls requiring Congress to authorize emergency spending to expedite veteran care.

The new VA secretary, Eric Shinseki, is vowing to reduce the delay in processing veterans' disability claims and hiring an additional 1,100 staffers to get the job done. Shinseki also wants the VA to move away from paper processing and go to an all-electronic claims system, something the Obama administration is advocating for the nation's health-care system in general. Here, the government wants to create an electronic record that would follow a service member in the military and then through the VA system. Now, the departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs have different medical systems, causing needless delays and far too many bureaucratic hurdles.

The president's budget proposal would increase VA spending from $98 billion this fiscal year to $113 billion. The massive federal stimulus package also includes about $1.4 billion for VA projects, and the Hudson Valley Healthcare System Veterans Administration Hospital at Castle Point will receive $8.22 million of that for upgrades and renovations, such as roof and water line repairs.

These are positive steps, yet about 50,000 veterans are still waiting for the VA to process their claims. That number will increase as more troops return home - unless the government gets a better handle on the situation now.

... ... ... ... ...

Tags: Veteran's-Claim S VA Veterans-Admini Stration General-Shinsek I

Bookmark: