ptsd Va Is A National Disgrace

[pacmanx1]

VA is a national disgrace: "They are routinely denying our military veterans benefits that we have earned on the battlefield"

September 11, 2010 posted by Michael Leon ·

Vietnam veteran James Davis, 59, of Willis has been trying since 2003 to get an increase in his VA disability benefits, but all he gets is a letter every six months saying he is being evaluated

- Houston has highest appeals rate in the U.S. as benefits claims set records -

Borrowing for war and not paying the service members who fight

By Lindsey Wise at the Houston Chronicle

Despite an influx of funds and staff at the Department of Veterans Affairs, the backlog of claims for benefits continues to grow at a record pace in Houston and nationwide.

VA received 1 million claims in 2009 for the first time in the department's 80-year history. In Houston, the situation has worsened since the Houston Chronicle first reported on the local impact of the backlog more than a year ago.

The number of veterans waiting for the Houston VA Regional Office to process their disability compensation claims jumped from about 19,000 this time last year to nearly 24,000, an increase of 25 percent.

Almost half of those claims have been pending for more than four months, compared to 37 percent nationwide.

"Clearly Houston is suffering under significant strain, and their office needs attention from Washington so our veterans can get accurate and fast claims decisions," said Paul Sullivan, executive director of the nonprofit Veterans for Common Sense.

"So many veterans in Houston have been waiting too long," Sullivan said.

He's particularly troubled that Houston has 12,060 claims in appeal, the highest number in the country for the second year in a row.

"The high number of veterans' claims awaiting an appeal decision — which often takes four to five years – indicates the Houston office may still have serious and significant quality and accuracy problems," he said.

The Houston Regional Office, which serves almost 760,000 veterans and their dependents in 90 Texas counties, is dedicated to the timely and accurate processing of disability claims, VA spokeswoman Jennifer Heim said in a written statement.

"We are steadily reducing the inventory of pending claims, while continuing to address the appeals," Heim said. "We have seen a significant increase in productivity within the existing workforce."

In August, for example, the office completed 3,898 disability compensation claims, up from 2,862 in the same month last year.

Waiting since 2003

Heim attributed the significant increase in claims and appeals in Houston to outreach efforts to communicate VA's mission and the type of benefits available to veterans. She said the Houston VA Regional Office recently hired 50 veteran service representatives and promoted nearly 40 others to help reduce the backlog. The office also continues to outsource some of its claims processing to other regional offices, she said.

Vietnam veteran James Davis, 59, of Willis has been waiting since 2003 for a final decision on his request for increased disability benefits.

Davis, his wife, and his disabled mother barely scrape by on the $845 disability check he gets from the VA monthly for post-traumatic stress disorder and shattered knees.

"All I get is a letter every six months explaining to me that they are still evaluating my status," Davis said.

"I've been waiting for what, seven years now," he said. "Hell, I'm 59 years old. They'll wait till I'm dead till they finally make up a decision. And even then it probably won't be in my favor."

Sullivan said the growing backlog is the cumulative effect of new VA rules about PTSD, Agent Orange and Gulf War-related illnesses, a tidal wave of new claims from half a million Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, and the nation's economic crisis, which left many veterans without private health insurance to treat their military-related medical problems.

"That's five different things that all slammed VA at the same time," Sullivan said. "VA has some initiatives, to their credit, that they hope will mitigate the disaster."

More workers hired

VA Secretary Eric Shinseki recently touted the department's efforts to reduce the backlog at the annual American Legion National Convention in Milwaukee, according to American Forces Press Service.

"We intend to break the back of the backlog this year," Shinseki said at the convention last week.

VA hired more than 3,500 claims workers this year to deal with the backlog. The department also invested hundreds of millions in a computerized claims process and electronic records system.

Shinseki said the goal is to reduce the time it takes the department to process a claim from the current average of 160 days to 125 days by the end of the year.

Does anyone care?

Vietnam veteran Bain Slack, 68, of Houston, isn't holding out too much hope that VA will become more efficient. He's been waiting more than two years for VA to decide on his appeal for increased disability benefits.

Slack, who flew almost 800 combat missions as a Marine Corps helicopter pilot in Vietnam, became disabled in 2004 after suffering stroke and aneurism of the aorta. He's also been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, ringing in the ears and hearing loss.

Slack said he's submitted extensive medical and military records that connect his health problems to his service, so he can't understand why his appeal is taking so long.

Slack and his wife, a schoolteacher, recently had to put their house up for sale. He hasn't been able to work for six years because of his disability, and money is tight. Sometimes he doubts anyone at the VA cares.

"The VA is a national disgrace," Slack said. "They are routinely denying our military veterans benefits that we have earned on the battlefield, and it's gotta stop."

[jsdwd]

Absolutely right. The problem starts with Congress and ends in the Executive. Congress just doesn't care about veterans. Look who is on the Veteran's Affairs committees. We have seen that the only thing Congressmen (and women) care about is getting re-elected. Period.

Then the same is true in the Executive. The Department of Veteran's Affairs is so poorly managed that it is a national embarrassment. I have been pursuing claim and appeal now for over two years and the number of mistakes, omissions and errors is staggering.

Before you blame "federal bureaucracy' I have also been dealing with Social Security Administration since 1998 and have had two IRS audits over the years (one random, the other because I filed the wrong form). Both those agencies had problems, but nothing at all like the VA. Social Seucrity (which handles many more claims) is not nearly as screwed up as the VA.

The VA is a creature of Congress.

Place the blame where it belongs!

To Congress-- Germany pays a pension to WWII SS veterans, and provides medical care.

How many years did it take congress to pay a "one shot" payment due WWI veterans? What about the veterans of more recent wars?

The VA is still fighting with some of the few surviving Korean War veterans and Vietnam veterans over claims that are undeniable.

The VA and DOD, for cost based reasons, routinely are denying, lo-balling, and mis-characterizing disability claims from veterans of more recent wars.

The VA routinely fails to and fights about giving disabled veterans the proper compensation and benefits that law entitles them to.

The VA claims process as it is implemented, fails many tests for fairness, equity, due process, timely processing and correct decisions,

and is also a major example of "Fraud, Waste, and Abuse".

The VA faces no monetary penalty for improperly denying, delaying, or "low balling" veterans claims, or improperly billing and collecting "co-pay" from disabled veterans.

[john999]

When I look at my VAMC it is obvious that the VA has made a decision to care for the current group of OIF/OEF vets at the expense of older vets. They are building massive polytrauma units at my VAMC. These are not for Vietnam era vets. I see active duty being treated at my VAMC. I cannot even get timely appointments in psychiatry, pain clinics or dental clinics. I see the "Welcome Home OIF/OEF Vets" signs hanging all over the parking lot. I get it! They should be using bulldozers to tear down the VAMC and give us some kind of insurance cards so we can go elsewhere. My VAMC is not fit for a dog. I wish it would sink into the ground directly to hell.

[Teac]

Darn I have a claim at houston ro , that is 21 month old and still no C/P exam

I lost my teeth because of dry mouth caused by asthma/copd meds ,, And I just got my dentures today from VA san antonio dental clinic...the bottom plate won't stay in place and I can't even chew without them moving.. Dentist said noting I can do... hell she doesn't care it was 4:oo time to go home....

I'm going to a private dentist in the AM, I am going to get me some choppers that work, don't care what they cost... ]