McCarthy Introduces Legislation to Reduce VA Disability Claims Backlog and Hold the VA Accountable
Washington D.C. – Congressman Kevin McCarthy today introduced legislation to hold the Department of Veterans' Affairs (VA) accountable to reduce the backlog on VA disability claims. The Ending VA Claims Disability Backlog and Accountability Act would implement the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office's recommendations, which are a result of an audit that Congressman McCarthy requested based on the persistent and intolerable backlogs that local veterans face at the VA Los Angeles Regional Office and at VA facilities across the country.
Joining Congressman McCarthy as an original cosponsor of H.R. 2138 is House Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Jeff Miller and Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Chairman Mike Coffman.
Congressman Kevin McCarthy issued the following statement:
"It is astonishing that VA leadership still lacks a clear and coherent plan to fix the intolerable backlogs on disability claims facing our veterans at the Department of Veterans' Affairs (VA) Los Angeles Regional Office in California and regional offices across the country. I said in January that if the VA failed to take immediate and substantive steps to address these issues, the House would. House Veterans Affairs Chairman Jeff Miller and I have sent letters and conducted hearings with VA leadership on this issue and their response has so far lacked any real substance or details as to how they will eliminate the backlog by 2015, as promised by the Secretary of VA. That is why I have authored new legislation designed to enact the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office's recommendations to correct the disability claims backlog problem and keep the VA accountable to this end – no excuses. I am not interested in empty promises or vague strategies when it comes to the care of individuals who have served and sacrificed for our freedom, and I will continue to hold VA leadership accountable until our veterans see real results and have access to the care and benefits they deserve in a timely manner."
Chairman Jeff Miller (FL-1) issued the following statement:
"If there's one thing VA could use more of, it's accountability. This bill would ensure VA implements GAO's common-sense recommendations for improving the department's claims processing operations and ending the backlog by 2015. Additionally it would set incremental benchmarks leading up to 2015 to measure whether VA is on track to break the backlog, introducing the much-needed elements of responsibility and transparency to the department's claims processing efforts.
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Background:
· After receiving complaints from local veterans on the amount of time it takes the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to process veterans' disability claims and schedule medical appointments, Congressman McCarthy led his colleagues in requesting that Government Accountability Office (GAO) conduct an audit of the VA to ensure our veterans get the benefits and medical services they are entitled to in a timely manner.
· The GAO audits found various problems, such as the failure to implement VA claims processing policies consistently across regions and the timely transfer of records between the Defense Department, Social Security Administration, and National Guard. The GAO found that the Los Angeles VA Regional Office has a total of 25,322 claims pending, of which 80% are 125 days or older.
· In response, the VA announced a goal to reduce the claims backlog to 125 days sometime in 2015 and increase processing accuracy to 98%. However, the GAO audit concluded this plan lacks any metrics or deadlines to ensure these goals are met.
· The House Committee on Veterans Affairs has held several hearings with senior VA officials on the disability rating claims backlog and the VA has yet to provide the House with any specific details as to how their plan will affect the backlog.
· H.R. 2138 would implement recommendations and address the issues identified in the GAO audit and require the VA to reduce the claims processing time to 125 days with a claims rating accuracy of 98% by Memorial Day 2015. Specifically, it addresses the GAO-identified factors contributing to the lengthy processing times of disability claims, including the sharing of information between agencies and processor training, improve congressional oversight of the VA's efforts to implement a backlog reduction plan by requiring quarterly GAO progress audits, and increases accountability within the VA by setting a hard deadline for backlog reductions consistent with Veterans Secretary Eric Shinseki's public statements.