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VA Hires Staff to Help with Toxic Exposure Benefits Backlog
Both the VA and the Veterans Benefits Administration are hiring additional staff to help deal with the increase in claims made by veterans through the newly-passed PACT Act – a bill that will provide the 3.5 million veterans who were exposed to toxic burn pits and served after Sept. 11, 2001. According to an article published…
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VA to Process PACT Act Claims Immediately
This month the Department of Veterans Affairs announced that staff members will immediately start processing toxic exposure claims for veterans with terminal illnesses – officials said that these veterans will receive the benefits as soon as possible. According to an article published by Military Times, “Payout of those benefits originally was scheduled to be phased…
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Veterans Will Receive 8.7% Boost in Benefits in 2022
Days after the Veterans’ Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2022 was signed, it was announced that veterans and military retirees can expect will see an increase in their disability compensation to match the 8.7% increase in Social Security benefits next year. According to an article published by Stars and Stripes, “The cost-of living adjustment —…
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Officials Say VA Electronic Health System Needs Major Improvements
Officials announced Wednesday that The Department of Veterans Affairs’ new needs electronic health records system requires significant upgrades. According to an article published by Stripes.com, “At the Mann-Grandstaff VA Medical Center in Spokane, Wash., where the system was first launched in October 2020, issues included unauthorized and inaccurate medication orders, patients’ name and gender errors,…
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Continued Delays Expected for Burn Pits Benefits Bill
The approval of a nearly $300-billion measure toxic exposure bill for veterans is now hinged on a governmental accounting dispute. According to an article published by MilitaryTimes.com, “The bill advanced on a 342–88 vote in the House two weeks ago with significant Republican support and was supported by 34 Republicans in the Senate during an 84–14…
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VA Electronic Health Record Transparency Act Passed
Last week President Joe Biden signed into law a bill aimed at increasing transparency into the process that the VA takes when handling veterans’ electronic medical records. According to an article published by Stars and Stripes, the bill was first introduced in December 2021 “…following a series of reports from the VA’s inspector general which…
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Disability Benefits Update for Tinnitus and Mental Illness
Suggested updates to the Department of Veterans Affairs disability ratings system will likely result in decreased payouts for veterans with sleep apnea and tinnitus, but increased payouts for veterans with mental illnesses like PTSD and depression. According to an article published by MillitaryTimes, “The changes are part of a months-long review of the department’s Schedule…
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Cost of Expanding Care for Toxic Exposure Delays Efforts
Recently lawmakers have strongly supported the goal of providing increased care and benefits for veterans with service-related toxic exposure. However, the projected cost of this is proving to be a hurdle to moving these efforts forward. According to an article published by Military Times, during a House Veterans’ Affairs Committee roundtable on the topic on…
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Burn Pit Victims Continue to Fight for Benefits
Although veterans advocates made significant progress last year to get burn pit victims their benefits, they are continuing to fight for even more this year. According to an article published by MilitaryTimes.com, “The issue of toxic exposure injuries for veterans has been a point of emphasis for outside organizations for years. This past year, advocates…
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New Plan to Increase Toxic Exposure Benefits Could Cost Nearly $300 billion
A new analysis issued this week by the Congressional Budget Office outlined that congressional plans to drastically increase disability payments for military hazardous exposure victims may cost about $85 billion in the next five years and more than $280 billion over the next decade. According to an article published by Military Times, “The hefty price…
