Congress and VA Urged to Reduce Backlog of Disability Claims

posted on Jan 20 by Stacy in the Disability News, veterans category

Peter Gaytan, executive director of The American Legion’s headquarters in Washington is urging the Veteran’s Administration to clear its backlog of disability claims. Right now there are over 400,000 new claims and another 200,000 denials being appealed. Gaytan believes that it is a problem that will not go away anytime soon, but can be reduced. “One of the most effective ways we can help veterans and their families is to make sure these claims are processed carefully and thoroughly–and that the correct decision is made the first time,” he said. Legislative division director, Steve Robertson, is meeting with federal legislators with a recommendation that Congress use its oversight authority to measure progress being made by VA.
Claims can take the VA from six months to a year to make a determination on a claim, and if a claim is denied, it can take several years to be resolved. Many claims are rejected due to lack of documentation, and VA doesn’t tek the time to investigate. VA employees get a work credit each time they make a decision on a claim…whether or not it is the right decision or not. Steve Smithson, disability claims expert for The American Legion stated: “That kind of work incentive program can compromise quality, because getting the proper information and making a proper decision often takes a lot more time. If you start taking shortcuts, then mistakes are made and claims are erroneously denied.”