Boston VA claims prove Vietnam veterans are largest percentage of claims

The media has been focusing on the OEF and OIF veterans as if everyone else was taken care of. The truth is, we didn't take care of Gulf War veterans and we sure didn't take care of Vietnam veterans. That is worth talking about since it also points out one very simple fact. They are waiting in line because no President, no Congress has ever put veterans first. As bad as it is for the newer veterans, if we don't get the VA fixed now, what will it be like for them 20, 30 or 40 years from now?

Boston sixth longest wait for vets' disability
Sentinel and Enterprise
By Rick Sobey
MediaNews
Posted: 06/30/2013

With a seemingly endless number of Vietnam veterans learning about available benefits and countless veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, the veteran disability wait in Boston is one of the highest in the nation.

But Billerica Vietnam veteran Frank Busalacchi and Tyngsboro Veteran Agent Chris Dery, who's in a two-year backlog, are not surprised the average Boston claims are taking about a year.

"It's the perfect storm right now," Dery said. "Boston gives some of the best benefits, which keeps all the veterans here. The VA is doing all they can. They're just up against the wall."

As of June 22 in the Boston Veterans Affairs regional office, 10,279 claims were pending, and on average, claims had been pending for 306 days. Boston has the sixth longest wait in the country. The Washington, D.C. regional office now has the longest delay -- 442 days.

One of the issues, Busalacchi said, is that many Vietnam veterans did not file claims when they returned in the 1960s and '70s.

"There was the 'too macho, too tough' mentality," said Busalacchi, who filed an eye and knee disability claim in 1967.

"So they waited and waited and waited, and it's really backlogged."

Only 22 percent of the pending claims are from veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. The rest are from prior wars and peacetime, with Vietnam War vets -- at 36 percent -- comprising the largest group.
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