Letter to Secretary of Veterans Robert McDonald - VA Backlog

Letter

Dear Secretary McDonald,

Since becoming the Ranking Member of the Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs (DAMA) Subcommittee of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs (HVAC) in 2013, I have been increasingly concerned about a looming backlog of appeals at the Veterans Benefits Administration. In June 2013, the DAMA Subcommittee hosted a hearing at which I warned that we were trading a claims backlog for an appeals backlog.

While the VA and the BVA have increased their output, metrics continue to show that the appeals problem is indeed growing; and veterans in Nevada and across the country are waiting far too long for a VA decision. Nationally, the average length of time to receive a decision on an appeal that went to BVA in FY 2013 was 1,255 days. In Nevada, there are close to 1,400 appeals waiting to be adjudicated. When a veteran asks my office for help appealing a claim, it is difficult to inform him or her that the process could take more than three years.

The VA does not have a detailed plan for how it will address this pressing issue. We are once again receiving piecemeal recommendations rather than a comprehensive strategy to eliminate this looming backlog.

In the 113th Congress, I introduced legislation mandating that VA form a task force that included key stakeholders and encouraged an all-hands-on-deck approach to recommend solutions to this problem. I was pleased to have HVAC Chairman Jeff Miller's support, and the bill ultimately passed the House. I have recently re-introduced this legislation and will work with my colleagues to ensure its swift passage.

In the meantime, I respectfully request that you consider an immediate increase in temporary FTE to focus on appeals. For both VBA and BVA, I recommend increasing staffing levels at a rate that would reduce the appeals backlog by 33% per year, theoretically ending the backlog within three years. While this approach should not replace the less costly and more efficient approaches that would result from the recommendations of a task force, it does put in place immediate resources to reduce the wait times faced by our veterans.

Furthermore, I understand that the VA has conducted a study to better understand the appeals process from the perspective of veterans, and I ask that these findings be shared with DAMA Chairman Ralph Abraham and me as soon as possible.

I look forward to working with you on efforts to prevent a major backlog of appeals and ensure veterans will receive the benefits they have earned in a timelier manner. Thank you for your consideration of these requests.

Sincerely,

Dina Titus
Ranking Member -- Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs

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