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HARRISBURG — Senator Bob Casey wants to move the Veterans Disability Claim system into the 21st century.

With the average disability claim languishing in the system for 129 days, Casey, D-PA, said expediting the process would serve to honor U.S. veterans.

In that spirit, he and Senator Dean Heller, R-NV, introduced the 21st Century Veterans Benefits Delivery Act earlier this year aimed at eliminating the disability claims backlog and improving the claims process.

Now he is calling for immediate passage of the legislation, which also includes provisions to support veterans through quality healthcare, education services, employment and transitional assistance.

“In January of 1991, with troops in the Persian Gulf, my father prayed for the troops,” said Casey. “He also prayed that we, as a nation, would be worthy of their value and sacrifice.”

That worthiness, Casey said, was based upon willingness to insure quality of life for veterans.

“A lot of work has been done on veterans’ access to health care,” he said. “Now, we must move forward on the issue of the improving the disability claims process.”

Casey said his office receives phone calls every day from constituents who have waited months for a response to a disability claim.

He recalled one instance in which a man called about his mother, who had not only been a veteran, but who had been married to a veteran, and had been waiting over six months to hear back about her claim.

“This is an example of a couple who have devoted their lives to our country,” said Casey. “Now we need to help them have quality lives.”

Casey credited the Veterans Administration with reducing the number of veterans waiting for claims to be processed nationally.

“According to the administration, in August of this year, there were only 100,000 disability claimants waiting to be processed,” he said. “This is down from a high of over 600,000 in March of 2013.”

Casey said he is confident the Veterans Administration can bring down the numbers of both disability claimants waiting to be processed and the number of days each claimant waits for processing.

He said the legislation would ensure the system would work in the long term, consistently being brought back into compliance, ensuring timely processing of veterans disability claims.

Regional offices, including the VA Medical Center in Wilkes-Barre Township, would be utilized to assist in providing information and assistance in assessing resources.

He also encouraged the federal government to provide necessary information to veterans in a timely manner so their claims could be completed accurately and quickly.

Although Casey said his office is more than happy to help veterans access their benefits, it should not be necessary for a veteran to contact a senator or congressman to have a claim processed.

“We want to have an ongoing system of good practices,” said Casey. “Both in regard to healthcare and in regard to the timely processing of veterans’ claims.”

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By Geri Gibbons

[email protected]

Veterans wanting information about or assistance in filing a claim for disability can call the Veterans Administration Medical Center at 570-824-3521 and ask for “eligibility.”

Reach Geri Gibbons at 570-991-6117 or on Twitter @TLGGibbons