Editorial: VA overhaul overdue

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Editorial: VA overhaul overdue

Congress held a hearing last week on ways to modernize the benefits claims system at the Department of Veterans Affairs, which has a backlog of 600,000 claims and counting.

Nothing unusual about that — and that’s the problem.

As the backlog swells with new claims from the still-rising tide of veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, lawmakers are looking for options to deal with this crisis.

It now takes an average of six months for VA to make a decision on an initial benefits claim. It takes two years to rule on appeals of the initial decisions.

VA’s response to date — hiring a small number of extra claims adjudicators — has been disappointingly timid. Bolder action is needed.


Rest of article at: http://www.armytimes.com/community/opinion/army_editorial_va_042108/