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VA continues to struggle to track veterans wait times
Five years ago, a scandal erupted over appointment delays linked to veterans’ deaths. Today, the Department of Veterans Affairs is still struggling with scheduling issues and monitoring wait times. According to an article published by Military.com, “During a hearing Wednesday before the House Veterans Affairs Committee, Debra Draper, health care director at the Government Accountability Office (GAO), said that, while…
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Lawsuit filed over delaying benefits for “Blue Water” Navy vets
This week, a lawsuit was filed against the Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie over his decision to suspend claims processing for tens of thousands of “Blue Water” Navy veterans until 2020. The lawsuit was filed by Military Veterans Advocacy and the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Association in the U.S. Court of Appeals and…
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Thousands of health care applications abandoned
In an effort to shrink a massive backlog of requests, an arm of the Veterans Affairs Department in Atlanta has eliminated more than 200k applications from across the country for health care early this year, saying they were missing signatures or information. According to an article published by Stripes.com, “Veterans groups say the VA should…
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‘Blue water’ veterans’ claims delayed again
Veterans Affairs officials recently announced that they will not start to process “blue water” Vietnam veterans claims until 2020. VA Secretary Robert Wilkie stated that the delay is intentional and ensures that the proper resources are allocated to meet the needs of the “Blue water” veterans community. However, some advocates are saying that the move is another disappointing delay…
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When will disabled veterans get their home loan refunds?
The Department of Veterans Affairs has been approached by lawmakers asking for a comprehensive schedule of home loan fee refunds to disabled veterans who were erroneously charged related fees. According to an article published by Military Times, “In a June 6 report issued by the VA Inspector General, auditors stated an estimated 72,900 exempt veterans were…
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Possible student loan debt relief for disabled veterans
More than 33,000 disabled veterans with unpaid federal student loans could possibly be granted debt relief under the new Federally Requiring Earned Education-Debt Discharges for Veterans Act (FREED Vets Act) proposed last week. According to an article published by Military Times, “The proposal follows moves by the Departments of Education and Veterans Affairs last year to alert more…
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Big increase for VA budget
Lawmakers have approved a nearly $400 billion spending bill that includes a large increase in Veterans Affairs spending for 2020 and also restricts the President’s ability to move military construction budget allocations into southern border wall construction. According to an article published by Military Times, “The passage — by a 227-194 party line vote — was the second major…
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‘Blue Water’ Veterans Benefits Act officially becomes law
Last week, the President signed the legislation and passed the law. The “Blue water” Vietnam Veterans Benefits Act will now grant presumptive status for disability benefits to an estimated 90,000 Navy veterans who served in the seas around Vietnam during the war. According to an article published by Military Times, “[Veterans] faced additional paperwork barriers to prove exposure…
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13-year Blue Water case finally comes to a close
‘Blue Water’ Navy veteran Alfred Procopio Jr. persevered through 13 years of denials to prove that his illnesses were exposure-related and caused by the toxic chemical Agent Orange during his time of service. Procopio was 61 years old when he originally filed his claim. Next month, he’ll be 74. According to an article published by…
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New program offers convicted veterans another chance
Virginian Judge Ricardo Rigual is offering former service members the choice between incarceration or rehabilitation, asking them to clean up their act under the guidance of other mentor veterans. Service members who choose the latter are given a mentor, set free, and are asked to commit to regular check-ins with a judge. The program has…
