Casey Requested Last Week That DOD Better Share Information, Asked VA to Implement Recommended Reforms in IG Report
Washington DC- Today, U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) announced that after calling on the Veterans Administration (VA) and Department of Defense (DOD) last week, VA Secretary Eric Shinseki will implement an aggressive plan to expedite compensation claims for Veterans who have waited one year or longer. Casey urged the DOD to better share information to reduce the backlog and called on the VA to implement the reforms recommended in an Inspector General’s report which highlighted the need to reform how veterans’ disability claims are processed in order to reduce backlogs.
“I’m pleased that the VA is implementing a plan to reduce the backlog of claims,” said Senator Casey. “The fact that some veterans in Pennsylvania have waited a year or longer to get their disability claims is unacceptable. I’m hopeful that the VA will work to implement the recommendations from the Inspector General’s report.”
Veterans across the country and in Pennsylvania have been forced to wait up to a year or more for their claims to be processed. In his letter to the VA, Senator Casey asked the agency to implement reforms recommended in a new report by the agency’s Inspector General that could speed up the processing of claims. Senator Casey specifically cited the backlog at the Philadelphia VA where the IG report says veterans are having a particularly challenging time receiving their benefits. Casey also urged the DOD to speed up the process of transferring claims to electronic form.
Senator Casey’s letters to Secretary Hagel and Secretary Shinseki can be found here.
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