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May 27, 2012
45% of new military veterans seek disability
By The Associated Press
America's newest veterans are filing for disability benefits at a historic rate, claiming to be the most medically and mentally troubled generation of former troops the nation has ever seen.
A staggering 45 percent of the 1.6 million veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now seeking compensation for injuries they say are service-related. That is more than double the estimate of 21 percent who filed such claims after the 1991 Persian Gulf War, top government officials told The Associated Press.
What's more, these new veterans are claiming eight to nine ailments, on average, and the most recent ones over the past year are claiming 11 to 14. By comparison, Vietnam veterans receive compensation for fewer than four, on average, and those from World War II and Korea, just two.
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And yet congress continues to drag it's feet on fully funding the VA.
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More than 560,000 veterans from all wars currently have claims that are backlogged -- older than 125 days.
The VA's benefits chief, Hickey, gave these reasons:
Sheer volume. Disability claims from all veterans soared from 888,000 in 2008 to 1.3 million in 2011. Last year's included more than 230,000 new claims from Vietnam veterans and their survivors because of a change in what conditions can be considered related to Agent Orange exposure. Those complex, 50-year-old cases took more than a third of available staff, she said.
High number of ailments per claim. When a veteran claims 11 to 14 problems, each one requires "due diligence" -- a medical evaluation and proof that it is service-related, Hickey said.
A new mandate to handle the oldest cases first. Because these tend to be the most complex, they have monopolized staff and pushed up average processing time on new claims, she said.
Outmoded systems. The VA is streamlining and going to electronic records, but for now, "We have 4.4 million case files sitting around 56 regional offices that we have to work with; that slows us down significantly," Hickey said.
✄snip>
45% of new military veterans seek disability
By The Associated Press
America's newest veterans are filing for disability benefits at a historic rate, claiming to be the most medically and mentally troubled generation of former troops the nation has ever seen.
A staggering 45 percent of the 1.6 million veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now seeking compensation for injuries they say are service-related. That is more than double the estimate of 21 percent who filed such claims after the 1991 Persian Gulf War, top government officials told The Associated Press.
What's more, these new veterans are claiming eight to nine ailments, on average, and the most recent ones over the past year are claiming 11 to 14. By comparison, Vietnam veterans receive compensation for fewer than four, on average, and those from World War II and Korea, just two.
✄snip>
And yet congress continues to drag it's feet on fully funding the VA.
✄snip>
More than 560,000 veterans from all wars currently have claims that are backlogged -- older than 125 days.
The VA's benefits chief, Hickey, gave these reasons:
Sheer volume. Disability claims from all veterans soared from 888,000 in 2008 to 1.3 million in 2011. Last year's included more than 230,000 new claims from Vietnam veterans and their survivors because of a change in what conditions can be considered related to Agent Orange exposure. Those complex, 50-year-old cases took more than a third of available staff, she said.
High number of ailments per claim. When a veteran claims 11 to 14 problems, each one requires "due diligence" -- a medical evaluation and proof that it is service-related, Hickey said.
A new mandate to handle the oldest cases first. Because these tend to be the most complex, they have monopolized staff and pushed up average processing time on new claims, she said.
Outmoded systems. The VA is streamlining and going to electronic records, but for now, "We have 4.4 million case files sitting around 56 regional offices that we have to work with; that slows us down significantly," Hickey said.
✄snip>