Veterans groups fighting over VA Claims and equal treatment for all veterans

Veterans groups fighting over VA Claims and equal treatment for all veterans
By Kathie Costos
Wounded Times Blog
April 5, 2013


Where were all these complaints in the press when veterans were suffering even longer, in bigger piles of backlogs topped off with even worse conditions as claims were just denied because the rules didn't allow them to get justice?

There is a reason a new veterans' group like IAVA have complained about the VA recently along with people like Jon Stewart ranted again last night about suffering veterans but older, established groups have the wisdom to know what is behind all of this.

Vet Groups Divide Over VA Backlog and Leadership
Apr 04, 2013
TOM PHILPOTT

With the backlog of compensation claims at the Department of Veterans Affairs having ballooned in recent years, one would expect major veterans' service organizations to be among VA's harshest critics.

If so, they would join a rising chorus. Recently network news programs have turned cameras and commentary on the mountain of 598,000 overdue claim decisions, suggesting bureaucratic neglect of returning ill and injured vets from Iraq and Afghanistan. Time magazine columnist Joe Klein even asked VA Secretary Eric Shinseki to resign.

One veteran association, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), says the administration isn't doing near enough to end the backlog with its average wait, from filing to decision, now at 273 days and some veterans in the largest cities reportedly waiting more than 600 days.

But most veteran service organizations aren't joining that chorus, for perhaps two major reasons. One, they believe they understand better than the loudest critics why the backlog has grown so. Some contributing factors these veterans' groups actually fought for.

Two, criticism of Shinseki and his team rings hollow to many veteran groups given the administration's support over the past four years for robust funding of VA, unprecedented cooperation with vet advocates, and the depth of its commitment to reform a 20th Century paper-driven claims process.

That's why groups including Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion came to Shinseki's defense after Klein's call to resign. That's why Joseph Violante, legislative director of Disabled American Veterans, told the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee that VA is moving "down the right path" with many of its reform plans even while "processing over a million claims annually, which in my mind is something phenomenal."

Violante described VA leadership as the most open he has seen in almost 30 years working veterans issues in Washington D.C. He had particular praise for Allison A. Hickey, under secretary for benefits.

At the same hearing, Bart Stichman, executive director of the National Veterans Legal Services Program, praised Shinseki. The NVLSP successfully has sued VA, initially more than 20 years ago, to compensate Vietnam veterans for diseases presumed caused by wartime exposure to herbicides including Agent Orange. Stichman said Shinseki showed courage when, facing a rising claims backlog in 2009, he added three new diseases to VA's list of diseases compensable for Vietnam veterans due to Agent Orange.

This required VA to re-adjudicate 150,000 claims previously denied and to process more than 100,000 fresh claims from Vietnam veterans, including for most anyone with heart disease who ever served in Vietnam. The Veterans Benefits Administration put more than 2300 experienced claims staff – 37 percent of its workforce – on the effort for two and a half years, paying out more than $4.5 billion in retroactive benefits.
read more here

Just a reminder of what really happened
VA Claims backlog 915,000

“Backlogs are at the point where veterans must wait an average of six months for a decision on benefits claims and some veterans are waiting as long as four years,” Butterfield said in a statement. “Veterans deserve better than this.”

Butterfield introduced a bill on Friday, HR 3087, that would automatically approve a veteran’s claim if no decision is made by the VA within 18 months. The bill doesn’t say exactly how the VA would do this, but creates a task force to monitor VA to make sure the 18-month deadline isn’t met with an arbitrary denial just before the claim must be paid.

The bill comes as the number of unprocessed veterans claims exceeds 915,000 — a 100,000 jump since the beginning of the year. In testimony two weeks ago before a House committee, VA officials said the current 162 days is 17 days less than one year ago, a sign that they are beginning to make process.

That was reported in June of 2009! It may come as a shock to the IAVA and others that the backlog of claims was that high before, but it doesn't pack such a big punch now if they mention that simple fact. If they actually remembered how long Gulf War veterans and Vietnam Veterans waited for their combat related disabilities to be taken care of and compensated for, then they would have to face the fact that ALL OUR VETERANS MATTER.

Is there a problem now? Sure there is and there has been one over and over again but as older groups fought longer for all veterans, it seems as if people forget they even exist. What kind of publicity did the Vietnam veterans get fighting the VA in the 70's, 80's, 90's or the other 12 years? Were they supposed to just wait and die for what their service to this country did to them so that the newer generation of veterans could be taken care of? After all they were getting the attention and the funding of mega charities raising "awareness" for their issues even though the older groups were fighting for them equally.

Had it not been for them there would be absolutely nothing for the OEF and OIF veterans coming home with PTSD.