Watch: VFW Testifies on Disability Claims Process

This morning, the VFW appeared before the House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on National Security, Homeland Defense and Foreign Operations to testify on VA’s ongoing efforts to eliminate the veterans’ disability claims backlog.

The hearing started at 10 a.m., in room 2247 of the Rayburn House Office Building. To view a webcast of the hearing and to read the prepared remarks of each witness, click here.

VFW Deputy National Veterans Service Director Jerry Manar testified before the subcommittee, discussing how the disability claims backlog came about, shortfalls in efforts to rectify the situation, and current initiatives VA has undertaken in an effort to solve the problem – specifically the new Veterans Benefits Management System, or VBMS.

VFW testified that the new program should be fully tested to identify shortcomings, but that VA must walk a fine line between rolling out the program too soon and delaying too long while seeking to fix all the problems.

Manar reiterated that the working relationship between the VA and the VFW's cadre of claims service officers has been excellent, giving accolades to VA Undersecretary for Benefits Allison Hickey for caring enough to listen to veterans service organizations' suggestions on what is best for disabled veterans and their loved ones.

However, Manar also criticized the VA's recent simplified notification letters to disability claimants, pointing out that the information included in the new letters were insufficient for veterans to determine why they received a certain rating.

Members of the committee expressed their frustration with the disability claims process, saying that too many veterans are still waiting for their claims to be adjudicated with little progress on the total number of claims in the backlog.

Manar recently testified on this issue before the House Veterans Affairs Committee, highlighting similar problems and potential solutions.

Your VFW will continue to follow the VA disability claims backlog closely, ensuring that VA initiatives to improve the situation yield results.

(Image: VFW Deputy Service Director Jerry Manar testifies before the House OGR Subcommittee on National Security, Homeland Defense and Foreign Operations.)

Watch: VFW Testifies on VA Claims Process

Update: The archived webcast of this hearing is now available by clicking here. 

This morning the VFW testified before the House Veterans Affairs Committee on the VA disability claims process transformation.

The hearing started at 10:30 a.m. in the committee’s chambers, room 334 of the Cannon House Office Building. To view a full list of witnesses and to read their prepared remarks, click here.

VFW Deputy National Veterans Service Director Jerry Manar presented the VFW’s thoughts on the transformation plan for the Veterans Benefits Administration, or VBA, which centers on the Veterans Benefits Management System (VBMS), a program intended to digitize the disability claims process.

In his remarks, Manar commended current VA leadership for their initiative to improve the claims process, but he also told the committee that the veterans’ community should not expect too much from the initial VBMS roll-out. Manar compared the new program to a foundation for a new house, intended to replace an aging, ad-hoc infrastructure of computer systems incapable of interacting with one another.

Manar went on to say that VBA should not introduce VBMS until it has been fully stressed to identify short comings, but that VBA must walk a fine line between rolling out the program too soon and delaying too long while seeking to fix any and all problems.

During his testimony, Manar also discussed VA’s new Simplified Notification Letters for veteran claimants, which the VFW believes do not provide adequate information to properly inform a claimant on how VA arrived at its rating decision.

Your VFW and our cadre of claims service officers will continue to monitor progress and identify ways to improve the VA claims process to ensure timely delivery of benefits to our veterans.

Watch Live: VFW to Testify on VA Claims Process

Update: To view the archived webcast of the hearing, click here, and to read highlights from the hearing, check out Military Times' coverage here.

This morning the House Committee on Veterans Affairs will host a hearing to examine the role of veterans' representatives throughout the VA disability claims process. Assistant Director for Veterans Benefits Policy Jim Wear will testify on behalf the VFW.

The hearing is scheduled to come to order at 10 a.m. in the committee's chambers, room 334 of the Cannon House Office Building. To watch the hearing live, click here.

During his remarks, Wear plans to fully outline how the 1,300 claims service officers accredited by the VFW help veterans navigate the complex VA disability claims process. Wear plans to highlight not only the 80-plus hours of training required of VFW service officers, but also the specific tasks with which service officers may assist veterans and dependents seeking service-connected benefits.

Wear also plans to discuss how the VFW's relationship has evolved with VA under the direction of VA Secretary Eric Shinseki, and how the VFW believes transparency from the agency will improve outcomes in the future, helping to alleviate the current VA disability claims backlog.

To view a full list of witnesses from this morning's hearing and to read their submitted remarks, click here, and check back later today with this blog for updates from the hearing.

In 2011, the VFW's service officers helped more than 97,000 veterans and survivors receive more than $2 billion in compensation and pension benefits. VFW claims assistance is offered to all veterans free of charge at VA regional offices around the country. Veterans represented by the VFW were also more likely to be granted service-connection for their disabilities upon appeal than veterans represented by attorneys or veterans with no representation. To find a VFW claims service officer near you, click here.

Field Report: VFW Helps Colorado Veterans’ Forum Develop Solutions

Last year Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., put together a state veterans’ forum, comprised of veterans’ advocates and leaders across Colorado in an effort to better serve the state’s veterans. In January, a forum subcommittee, chaired by VFW Post 1 Commander Izzy Abbass came together to address a series of veterans’ issues under the title “Better Serving Those Who Have Served.”

Abbass’ subcommittee included advocates from across Colorado who interacted with the veterans’ community in a variety of ways such as workforce investment, Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, military family policy, academia, and veterans’ services on both the state and national level. Major veterans’ service organizations like the American Legion, Disabled American Veterans, Military Officers Association of America, and Paralyzed Veterans of America also participated in the discussion.

The forum produced a report on six specific areas, outlining ways to improve support services for service members, veterans and their families in Colorado.

“We are unified in our belief that we must do a better job addressing [these] challenges if Colorado is going to become the best place for veterans to live and work,” said Abbass. “ This report is an initial step in continuing to build consensus and strategize how to implement reforms to better meet the needs of military families and veterans.”

The six areas and the panel’s recommendations are:

• Improving community collaboration: Thousands of public and private programs exist to serve veterans, but despite the quantity of programs focused on veterans, critical gaps in services remain. Those working for veterans do not communicate with one other and it is often difficult for veterans to pinpoint which of the multitude of service providers is most relevant to their needs and accessible to them geographically. This country needs a central place where public and private organizations committed to serving veterans can go to learn about each other and work together, and where veterans can go to connect to the services they need.

• Putting our warriors back to work: Although veterans are some of the most highly-skilled workers in the country, they often face unique challenges that can make finding employment after military service difficult. Some of the challenges faced by transitioning service members include translating their unique skills into civilian occupations and overcoming employers’ misunderstanding of the injuries associated with combat. We should work together to find a way to make the transition from warfighter to civilian employee easier.

• Providing easy and efficient access to earned benefits: Bureaucratic overload, inefficiency and inaccuracy continues to cause the backlog of claims at the Veterans Benefits Administration. These delays are an unnecessary burden on veterans who are entitled to the benefits earned through their service. In addition, improvements can be made to the G.I. Bill education benefit to make sure returning veterans get the most out of their education.

• Ending homelessness and addressing foreclosure: Veterans are more likely to become homeless than their non-veteran counterparts, and service members continue to face foreclosure and other financial challenges due, in part, to their mobility. We have a responsibility to make sure veterans are not placed at a disadvantage because of their service to our country.

• Improving awareness and addressing the mental scars from combat: The long-term mental health and cognitive implications of post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury are not fully known. Some medical experts believe that the injuries could be contributing factors in Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS. We need to start planning now for the potential wave of cognitive and mental health issues that may develop in Iraq and Afghanistan veterans in the decades to come.

• Raising national awareness about the unique challenges faced by military families and veterans: Our goal should not just be to simply reintegrate the service member into civilian society, but should also be to educate communities about the challenges facing those who have served.

From this report, Abbass’ subcommittee will now focus its efforts on three specific areas: Licensing and education, local VA support, and employment.

Abbass said each subcommittee in the state veterans’ forum is now working toward developing action items for the next full committee meeting, which takes places on March 30 in Denver.

To submit your Field Reports for consideration on the VFW’s Capitol Hill blog, simply fill out our online form here, or send photos and stories directly to vfwac@vfw.org. Information for this story was provided by Colorado VFW Post 1 Commander Izzy Abbass.