In an effort to keep the pressure on the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs to eliminate the massive backlog of veterans claims, U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor (D-Tampa/St. Petersburg, FL) announced today her cosponsorship of a legislative package to immediately address the problem that has nearly 900,000 veterans waiting an average of nine months before they receive a decision from the VA.

“The VA has touted its plan to erase the backlog by 2015, but the VA proposal fails to provide enough progress or relief for our veterans.  Instead, immediate action is needed,” Rep. Castor said. The VA outlined its 2015 plan after Rep. Castor demanded a response to the overwhelming numbers of pending cases at the St. Petersburg VA Regional Office. 

“The VA backlog has plagued the entire nation, but particularly hits close to home because the St. Petersburg region is one of the busiest in the nation. This week, we observed Memorial Day to honor those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice, and it is our duty to also honor those who have served by ensuring they receive the benefits they have earned.”

While the VA this year transitions to a digital system as part of its plan to erase the backlog by 2015, various bills filed this Congress would require the VA to take immediate steps to reduce the backlog more quickly. 

“Our military men and women courageously and immediately took on their assignments to serve our country, and not providing the same reciprocity when they file for the benefits they have deserve is absolutely egregious,” Rep. Castor said. “The veterans claims cases that come through my office are sometimes heartbreaking, and these enormous wait times are a disservice to them and their families.”

Veteran Glenn Bach, 64, believes his exposure to Agent Orange in Vietnam caused his Parkinson’s disease, which has left him with a paralyzed vocal cord, blood pressure issues and using a walker. He has been confined to his home for long periods of time throughout the past three years as he awaits a decision from the VA. Mr. Bach lives with his wife in Tampa. 

“The disease is so much worse and we barely make our bills. I worry every month,” Bach said. “This sounds horrible, but I feel like I’m going to die before I ever receive my benefits.”

Retired Colonel Beverly Neal, 83, spent 31 years in the U.S. Army, which included two tours in Vietnam and exposure to Agent Orange. After his service in the Army, he started his own business but sold it eight years later due to his unpredictable health condition. In addition to suffering from colon cancer, he has had two heart attacks and subsequent heart problems that have required a quadruple bypass and more than 10 angioplasties. Since filing for a claim in 2011, most of his wait time has been spent while the VA locates his records. 

“I finally came to Rep. Castor and her office did in two days what I couldn’t do in two years,” he said. His claim was finally brought to the attention of an evaluation team and he now awaits a decision. Mr. Neal lives with his wife in Tampa.

While transitioning to an electronic system to process claims is necessary to end the backlog, legislation filed this Congress would modernize policies and procedures, amend existing requirements to reduce bureaucracy, and increase transparency and reporting to ensure prompt progress. In summary, these bills would: 

• Provide disability compensation for all claims that have been pending for 125 days or more at the 40 percent rating.
• Require the Department of Defense to provide certified, complete and electronic records to the VA within 21 days, which would substantially reduce the amount of time spent waiting on the Department of Defense to provide information in a timely manner.
• Establish a pilot program to focus on the 10 most complex and time-consuming medical conditions to encourage the VA to specialize claims processing by condition, which would reduce time needed for a decision and decrease the error rate on difficult claims.
• Require VA to pay veterans for medical conditions as they are individually adjudicated, rather than wait on payment until all conditions have been adjudicated.
• Increase reporting requirements that better detail the backlog, including the timeliness and accuracy of VA regional offices.
• Maximize the use of private medical evidence to reduce the need for a VA medical examination for every medical case. This would conserve resources and enable quicker, more accurate rating decisions for veterans.
• Require annual reports on VA regional offices that fail to meet backlog reduction goals.
• Require quarterly updates to Congress on the timeliness of other agencies in fulfilling the VA’s information requests. Veterans claims are often untimely because the VA is waiting for other agencies to provide necessary information.

Nearly 50,000 veterans reside in Rep. Castor's District 14, which includes Tampa and surrounding areas, as well as South St. Petersburg.

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