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Casey

WILKES-BARRE — U.S. Sen. Bob Casey Wednesday said it is “simply unacceptable to have a veteran with a disability wait hundreds of days for their claim to be resolved,” and he and a bipartisan group of senators are determined to reduce the Department of Veterans Affairs backlog of disability and pension claims.

Casey, D-Scranton, Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nevada, unveiled a new report today on the VA disability claims backlog and proposed legislation that would reform what they call “a broken system” that has left some veterans waiting more than 200 days for their claims to be processed.

Following revelations about backlogged claims, Casey and Heller formed a bipartisan working group to develop consensus solutions and legislation.

“The administration has taken important steps to reduce the disability claims backlog, but this report addresses the many gaps that remain,” Casey said during a teleconference. “Now is the time to advance bipartisan legislation that will move the VA’s disability claims system into the 21st Century, so that it delivers the relief that our veterans and their families deserve.”

Casey said handling veterans’ claims more expeditiously is “the least we can do” to honor their service. Casey said his office has received calls from veterans and their families that revealed that some of them have been waiting as long as two years to have their claims processed.

The senators are seeking a wide-scale independent review of the Department of Veterans Affairs for mismanagement and changes to improve budgeting and speed up applications. Casey and Heller said their report shows there has been progress, but the recent efforts by the VA haven’t been enough.

Casey said the proposed legislation contains mandatory provisions, which he said are needed when an agency isn’t performing up to expectations. He said the U.S. Comptroller General in the Government Accountability Office would be required to do an audit of the VA to assess the consistency of decisions that have been made and to recommend options for improvement.

Heller said he and Casey are leading the charge to correct the problem because they represent states with two of the worst performing VA centers.

Casey’s office said claims generated through the Wilkes-Barre VA Center are processed in Philadelphia Regional Office, which has jurisdiction over the 40 eastern counties in Pennsylvania. The backlog at Philly is roughly 245 days, Pittsburgh is 220 days. The national average is 198 days.

Casey said recent findings of mismanagement at the Philadelphia VA — including neglected mail, manipulation of claims, and alteration of quality reviews — might point to a broader, department-wide problem.

“This is about more than the backlog issue,” Casey said.

Casey said backlog cases have been reduced dramatically, but more work needs to be done.

Casey and Heller are chairs of the VA Backlog Working Group, along with Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Lehigh Valley, and others. The proposed legislation — the 21st Century Veterans Benefits Delivery Act — would create a system that can withstand surges in disability claims without generating another veteran disability claims backlog.

The senators also released the VA Backlog Working Group 2015 Report in which the Working Group identifies the progress that has been made on the claims backlog since 2014, which Working Group recommendations have been implemented by the VA and Congress, and what actions must still be taken to fully transition the VA to a 21st century benefits delivery system.

Toomey said Pennsylvania is home to nearly one million veterans.

“I have long insisted that our veterans be the first in line for the best quality care,” Toomey said. “The VA needs to cut red tape, make the paperwork easier, and rid itself of the culture that’s led to the current backlog of disability claims.”

The report and legislation were endorsed by several Veterans Service Organizations (VSOs), including Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), American Legion, Disabled American Veterans (DAV), Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), and the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA).