Post Tag: "disability claims"

94 Year Old World War II Vet Stuck in VA Backlog Again

On July 10th, 2012 by Jordan Towers

Houston Chronicle – A 94-year-old disabled World War II veteran from Houston who waited seven years for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to make a final decision about his benefits has once again found himself snared in VA’s record claims backlog. More than 909,700 veterans’ claims are pending nationwide, including almost 90,000 in [...]

House Passes Bill for VA to Reduce Disability Claims Backlog

On June 4th, 2012 by Keith Boylan

On May 21st over 300 veterans attended a Town Hall meeting at the War Memorial Building here in San Francisco. The forum, hosted by Congresswoman Jackie Speier & Congresswoman Barbara Lee, focused on the back-log of compensation and pension claims at the Veteran Affairs Regional Office in Oakland. The VA official responsible for the [...]

Investigation of Joint Disability Evaluation System

On May 24th, 2012 by Keith Boylan

Interim Committee Staff Report: The frequency and severity of inconsistencies between military mental health providers, military disability evaluators, and VA was less frequent at locations other than the Forensic Psychiatry Reviews at Madigan. However, evaluations at some other military sites focused on perceived “malingering” (which requires intent to deceive) or exaggeration of symptoms without [...]

Waiting for More Than a Check

On May 4th, 2012 by Rob Kane

Bay Citizen – Until the VA says they are disabled, returning soldiers cannot get tax breaks. Nearly 90,000 Californians are waiting for the Department of Veterans Affairs to rule on their disability claims. Most have been waiting for more than four months. They are not just waiting for a check. The department must determine veterans are [...]

‘Send Immediate Help’ to Oakland’s VA, Say Bay Area Reps

On April 20th, 2012 by Rob Kane

Updated 10:44am April 20 with reaction from the Department of Veterans Affairs. Sixteen members of Congress sent a letter to Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki Thursday, urging him to “send immediate help” to his agency’s Oakland Regional Office, which handles all disability claims filed by veterans from Bakersfield to the Oregon border. The letter came [...]

VA: Staff Errors Delay Veterans’ Benefits

On April 20th, 2012 by Rob Kane

One in four disability decisions at Oakland office is wrong, official tells congressmen. “Quality issues,” including staff errors, are a key reason why Bay Area veterans wait 313 days, on average, for the Department of Veterans Affairs to render decisions on their disability claims, a senior VA official told a Congressional committee Wednesday. The [...]

VA Pledges to Overhaul Disability Claims System

On April 20th, 2012 by Rob Kane

Promise comes after The Bay Citizen reveals Bay Area veterans wait an average of 313 days. The Department of Veterans Affairs announced Monday that it would overhaul operations at 12 of its offices in the next few months in order to reduce the time veterans must wait for decisions on their disability claims. The [...]

Mike Grabski, 32, has been waiting more than two years for his claim to go through. “It’s not about the money,” he said. “It’s about the care.”

Paperwork Buries Veterans’ Disability Claims

On April 16th, 2012 by Rob Kane

NY Times (Aaron Glantz) – Even after Ian Rodriguez left the Marine Corps in 2006, he still felt like he was in Iraq. The burly veteran, who played defensive end on the College of San Mateo football team before joining the military, would sometimes wake up in the middle of the night at home [...]