WASHINGTON � In an effort to �avert a full-blown crisis within the VA,� Congressman Ted Strickland sent a letter to Department of Veterans� Affairs Secretary James Nicholson expressing his concern about a growing backlog of benefits claims in the VA system.
�I have been contacted by several veterans in my District who have made me aware of the substantial length of time it takes to settle a VA claim,� Strickland said. �It is my understanding there is a backlog of several thousand claims in the Cleveland VA office alone.
�If there is something my Congressional colleagues or I can do to alleviate this wait for those who have served our country so honorably, I urge Sec. Nicholson to communicate to the Congress what actions we should take to address the backlog,� Strickland said.
Ohio is one of six states Congress designated as �special outreach� because of the disproportionately low amount paid out in benefits to veterans who file claims, and the VA must take special steps to ensure Ohio �s veterans receive just compensation. The VA office in Cleveland , which processes claims for many veterans in the Sixth Congressional District, has seen a steady increase in the number of claims being filed and processed, and the subsequent backlog is delaying claims.
�The intent of this letter is not to criticize or find fault,� Strickland wrote, �but instead to ascertain how my colleagues and I in Congress can assist the VA in alleviating these drastically high pending claims. I know the VA is in the process of hiring additional claims processors, and that is a positive step.
�However, given the ever increasing number of veterans returning home from serving overseas, we must take aggressive, immediate action to avert a full-blown crisis within the VA,� Strickland wrote.
�Our service men and women have answered � and continue to answer -- their country�s call to serve,� Strickland said. �We should do everything in our power to ensure their calls for help are addressed as quickly as possible, whether it�s supplying additional funding, manpower or technical upgrades. We owe that to our veterans.�
RETURN TO the Newsupdate Page