Bush effort to relieve backlog [VA} likely will be unsuccessful

[rodeodance]

http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/news/16900527.htm
Posted on Wed, Mar. 14, 2007


VA system reaches limit, study says
Investigators say Bush effort to relieve backlog likely will be unsuccessful
By Hope Yen
ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON - The Veterans Affairs' system for handling disability claims is strained to its limit, and the Bush administration's current efforts to relieve backlogs will not be enough to serve veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, investigators said Tuesday.

In testimony to a House panel, the Government Accountability Office and Harvard professor Linda Bilmes detailed their study into the VA's claims system in light of growing demands created by wars. They found a system on the verge of crisis because of backlogs, cumbersome paperwork and ballooning costs.

The House hearing is the latest to review the quality of care for wounded troops returning from Iraq -- from emergency medical care at military hospitals, to long-term rehabilitation at VA clinics and eventual transition to civilian life with VA disability payments.

According to their findings, the VA:

• took between 127 to 177 days to process an initial claim and an average of 657 days to process an appeal, resulting in significant hardship to veterans. In contrast, the private sector industry takes about 89.5 days to process a claim.

• had a claims backlog of roughly 600,000............................

[MADem]

1. Send them off with the surge troops. They'll die, relieving the backlog.

What could be easier????

[catnhatnh]

2. Actually 4-6 months to process a new claim is not ideal...

...but not horrible....rather it is the fact that appeals take nearly two years that is the real disgrace...I have been through the SS disability process which seems closely aligned and can tell you for a fact that many to most, claims are initially denied pro forma on the theory that no one was ever reprimanded for failing to give away enough money-believe it or not, that is how it was viewed...my case also took nearly two years, required an attorney, and then,after a formal hearing was scheduled I was told I had prevailed based on my (long) existing records and that after review the hearing officer was granting my claim without the actual scheduled hearing...ask the Vets and I'll bet there is a lot of this.