Thompson Language Addressing VA Backlog Passes House

Press Release

U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson announced today that the House of Representatives passed legislation with language called for by Thompson and other California Democrats that would hold the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) accountable for ending the backlog of claims at the Veterans Benefits Administration. The language was included with H.R. 2216, the Fiscal Year 2014 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Bill.

"We must make sure our veterans and their families receive the benefits they have earned," said Thompson. "It is unacceptable for a veteran to be forced to wait for care and benefits, in some cases for more than a year, because the VA is backlogged. We're going to make sure the VA continues to do everything possible to get this problem fixed."

Currently, new claims by veterans can take almost 300 days to process, delaying access to care and benefits. Many California veterans in the 5th Congressional District are serviced by the Oakland Regional Office which has one of the longest claims backlog in the country.

The language included in H.R. 2216 will require a monthly report from each regional office and the national VA office detailing the current backlog of claims. Additional reporting will be required from offices with backlogs averaging more than 200 days.

In an April letter to the House Appropriations Committee's Subcommittee on Veterans Affairs, Thompson and other members of the California delegation requested these additional reporting requirements that were included in the bill passed out of Committee and then by the House.

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