Veterans Still waiting, and waiting

Sun editorial:

Still waiting, and waiting
Veterans Affairs’ backlog in processing veterans’ disability claims just gets bigger
Tuesday, July 14, 2009 2:05 a.m.

The long wait time for disability claims to be processed has been a complaint among veterans since the early days of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Troops were sent into combat in both wars by the administration of President George W. Bush without necessary preparations, such as expanding the veterans hospitals that would be caring for the wounded and adding staff and facilities to the Veterans Affairs Department so that the inevitable disability claims could be handled efficiently.

The result has been eight years of disservice to members of the military who were sent into harm’s way.

A New York Times story Monday revealed that veterans are still waiting interminably to hear back on their disability claims — in a recession, no less, during which many are desperate to receive what they have earned.

Veterans groups are forcefully speaking out. “The VA’s claim situation is so bad that it is exacerbating veterans’ already difficult situations,” the executive director of Veterans for Common Sense told the newspaper.
read more here
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2009/jul/14/still-waiting-and-waiting/