Is Washington Headed Down the Wrong Path to Fix VA Claims Backlog?

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PJMedia:

WASHINGTON — The Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday approved the fiscal year 2014 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs (VA) and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill, which included a 10-point “Checklist for Change” intended to fix the backlogged VA system.

As of June 10, Veterans Affairs reported 816,839 pending compensation claims for service-related disabilities as the agency continues to come under fire for sluggish processing that has left wounded warriors waiting for months on end for any claims resolution.

Sixty-six percent of current outstanding claims are considered backlogged — pending for more than 125 days.

Appropriations Chairwoman Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) worked with MilCon/VA Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Tim Johnson (D-S.D.) to develop the checklist that sinks $20 million more than the budget request into upgrading VA computer hardware, allocates an additional $10 million to pay overtime costs for claims processors “to increase production and efficiency,” and requires additional training, audits, and reports.