Disabled veterans say Houston, we have a problem!

Reading this report it is like being haunted by an old ghost. We faced these problems in the 90's. Claims tied up, denied forcing my husband to file an appeal, followed by months after months waiting, left a scar behind. It always astonished me that there were always deadlines for the veteran to make but the VA didn't have any to live by, at least none they clued the veteran into.

During the time a veteran files a claim, they are already living with whatever their condition has produced. If it is physical, then they have lived with pain usually topped off with a boatload of fear. If it is in the mind, like Post Traumatic Stress or Traumatic Brain Injury, they have also gone through the denial roller coaster ride of fighting it on their own as their lives fall apart. For Vietnam veterans, they may have been supported to file a claim but this came after years of suffering. Should their claim be approved, it is pro-rated back to when they filed and not back to Vietnam even though that is where it all began and when the damage to their lives started.

The Vietnam veterans are still waiting but now there are more veterans needing help and wondering what they did wrong. They are suffering as they wait because the rest of the world moves on. Bills have to be paid but when they cannot work because of their condition, they have nothing to pay them with. Homes are lost. Landlords give up and kick them out. Families begin to wonder if anything will get better and veterans, well, they end up wondering if it was worth surviving combat in the first place.

We faced financial hardship as his claim was denied over and over again. We faced emotional struggles that would have destroyed most marriages. Reading this article, it is important to remember that this is a debt we owe them but also ask yourself what your own life would be like while you fight and wait for what you thought was part of the deal of your service.

Money, staff fail to stop VA backlog growth
Houston has highest appeals rate in the U.S. as benefits claims set records
By LINDSAY WISE
HOUSTON CHRONICLE
Sept. 10, 2010, 8:54PM

Michael Paulsen Chronicle
Vietnam veteran James Davis, 59, of Willis has been trying since 2003 to get an increase in his VA disability benefits, but all he gets is a letter every six months saying he is being evaluated.

Despite an influx of funds and staff at the Department of Veterans Affairs, the backlog of claims for benefits continues to grow at a record pace in Houston and nationwide.

VA received 1 million claims in 2009 for the first time in the department's 80-year history. In Houston, the situation has worsened since the Houston Chronicle first reported on the local impact of the backlog more than a year ago.

The number of veterans waiting for the Houston VA Regional Office to process their disability compensation claims jumped from about 19,000 this time last year to nearly 24,000, an increase of 25 percent.

Almost half of those claims have been pending for more than four months, compared to 37 percent nationwide.

"Clearly Houston is suffering under significant strain, and their office needs attention from Washington so our veterans can get accurate and fast claims decisions," said Paul Sullivan, executive director of the nonprofit Veterans for Common Sense.

"So many veterans in Houston have been waiting too long," Sullivan said.

He's particularly troubled that Houston has 12,060 claims in appeal, the highest number in the country for the second year in a row.

"The high number of veterans' claims awaiting an appeal decision — which often takes four to five years - indicates the Houston office may still have serious and significant quality and accuracy problems," he said.

The Houston Regional Office, which serves almost 760,000 veterans and their dependents in 90 Texas counties, is dedicated to the timely and accurate processing of disability claims, VA spokeswoman Jennifer Heim said in a written statement.
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Money staff fail to stop VA backlog growth