According to a report from McClatchy Newspapers, “Processing time for disability claims at the Department of Veterans Affairs worsened in a majority of its regional offices last year, and the VA has struggled with its much-anticipated plan to correct those problems.”

McClatchy also reports, “Between fiscal 2011 and fiscal 2012, the time it took to complete the average claim rose from 188 days to 262 days.”

Shameful.

The Department of Veterans Affairs in Montana (Fort Harrison) was chosen (with much fanfare) to take part in this new “paperless” way of reviewing disability claims. So far it looks like a failure. The Inspector General of the VA reported that the “VA will continue to face challenges in meeting its goal of eliminating the backlog of disability claims processing by 2015.”

You can read the February 2013 Inspector General report HERE (36 pages PDF).

A backlog of disability claims is not a new problem. It’s not just a Democratic problem.  It is not just a Republican problem. Claims have been backlogged for years through Republican Administrations and Democratic Administrations and it does not matter which party controls the U.S. House or the U.S. Senate.

Many fellow veterans believe it’s a lack of respect and caring from the elected officials. Many of our elected officials never served a day in the military (many don’t employ too many veterans, either). They have never really had to use the VA for healthcare, for compensation, or for the GI Bill. They really don’t care too much for veterans (except around election time).

If a senator or representative had to file a disability claim to get paid, we would see some changes – and quickly.

When President Abraham Lincoln said, “to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow, and his orphan,” I doubt he imagined all the red tape and delays veterans and families would have to go through to receive that care.

In my opinion, the VA should never take more than 90 days to do an initial review of a veteran’s disability claim. Since the VA is now taking well over twice that amount of time, Congress should provide more funding for additional benefits personnel (instead of spending it on this). If the increased funding (just for the backlog) does not work to stop it, then get rid of those running the VA and put someone in their place who can manage the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA).

With the United States being basically broke, veterans may get the short end of the stick, once again, and that’s not right…

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