Peering through the new prescription glasses he just got from the veterans hospital, Korean War veteran Gilbert Torres sifted through a stack of papers detailing claims he’d had pending with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs since July 2011.
Torres is asking the VA re-evaluate the 30 percent disability he was awarded in the 1960s for injuries to both feet during a training exercise and to grant him disability for lingering gastrointestinal problems from food poisoning.
Torres said he’s happy with the services the VA has provided him over the years like free medical and vision care, but said he doesn’t understand why he’s been waiting more than a year for answers.
“I can wait, but I’d like to have some sort of notice,” he said. “I deserve what I’m asking for.”
Torres is part of a backlog of 17,000 disability compensation claims in Arizona as of October, according to the VA’s Phoenix Regional Office, which processes disability compensation for the state. These are claims that have been pending longer than 125 days.
There were 587,800 claims pending in the backlog nationwide as of September, according to the VA.
Despite efforts by the VA to ramp up processing times, officials say the department can’t keep up with the volume of claims, which have risen nearly 50 percent since 2008.
Part of the increase has to do with the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan winding down and many new veterans filing, but is also due to a class-action lawsuit that added ischemic heart disease, hairy cell and other forms of B-cell leukemia and Parkinson’s to a list of diseases associated with exposure to Agent Orange, according to John Rowan, national president of Vietnam Veterans of America.
“We’ve got a backlog because of a perfect storm,” Rowan said.
Beginning in 2010, the Phoenix Regional Office began processing disability claims related to that case almost exclusively, and between 2010 and 2011 the backlog in Arizona grew by 380 percent. Since then, the growth has slowed significantly, according to Monica Cabrera, a spokeswoman for the office.
In an email, Cabrera credited employees who have worked overtime, the VA’s hiring of 27 new veterans services representatives and a new VA process for streamlining claims-handling.
“While the Phoenix Regional Office is confident in the long-term benefits of these initiatives, the short-term implications (training of employees, decreased productivity while employees adapted to new environment) posed additional challenges to reducing the backlog,” the email said.
Joe Strickland, director of Arizona Department of Veterans Services, said that news doesn’t do much for those who are waiting.
“It makes me mad,” he said. “I see so many Iraq and Afghan vets who are struggling.”
Strickland said after the drawdown in Afghanistan by 2014, there will be hundreds of thousands of veterans coming back and looking for jobs, filing claims and struggling with all sorts of other issues.
“The federal VA is trying,” he said, “but I don’t think there’s a real solution until we get some distance between conflicts.”
One of the solutions being offered on the federal level is a new paperless disability claims system. This will significantly decrease the problems with paper-shuffling and lost documents, according to the Denny Boller, national service director for AmVets.
“They’re working on people, processes and technology,” he said. “What they’re going toward looks good.”
All 56 veterans regional offices will be under the new organizational model by the end of 2013, according to the VA.
Gilbert Torres said aging veterans may not be around long enough to benefit from such changes, though he added that he can wait.
“I feel that that our boys have got priority – the ones that are wounded, the ones that got legs missing, got arms missing. They should be first,” he said. “But at least let us know what you’re doing. I don’t know what they’re doing.”
Rhema posted at 9:07 am on Tue, Oct 30, 2012.
I am a U.S. Veteran experiencing the same issues with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). I have come to learn the reason for our problems with the (VA) and that is the Secretary of Veterans Affairs has power to deny VA benefits no matter how solid the medical evidence is and also power to deny proper redress in the U.S. Federal Courts. There is a law 38 U.S.C § 511, which gives the Secretary of Veterans Affairs power deny veterans DUE PROCESS and CIVIL RIGHTS concerning their VA benefits. Mr. Torres can join in on our fight to get this law revoked by signing the petition: http://www.change.org/petitions/u-s-congress-and-senate-i-want-them-to-revoke-38-u-s-c-511, which is a law harming the VA processing of benefits. If the link doesn't open up to be signed, he can email me at: pointman1960@nycap.rr.com or call me at: 518-528-9553
Arizonan posted at 9:12 am on Tue, Oct 30, 2012.
I tried for years to deal directly with the VA to no avail. I was fortunate enough to be pointed at DAV and told they would handle my claim for free. They did a great job. I urge anyone seeking compensation to use one of the service organizations like DAV, AMVETS or VFW instead of fighting VA directly. I liken it to useing a lawyer instead of defending yourself in a major court case. They all have offices in the same building as the Regional VA in downtown Phoenix.
Best of luck!
Mom O 4 posted at 10:25 am on Tue, Oct 30, 2012.
As a Veteran they are also NOW calling Veterans in to be reevaluated so their benefits can be reduced. This is a very shady way of doing things to people like myself who loved our country enough to volunteer ! Who do we speak to about that?
samkat posted at 5:03 pm on Tue, Oct 30, 2012.
After 36 years of fighting the VA, I can attest to the foot dragging. For years, I couldn't figure out why they kept denying my claims until I had an opportunity to review my military medical records. They were in a complete state of disarray and many pages were missing altogether. Fortunately, I had made a copy before I retired in 1976. since my copies were beginning to fade, I scanned every page into my computer and now ask each medical provider for a copy of my office notes and lab slips which I promptly scan into my computer. As a precaution, if you do this, make a back up copy in case the computer crashes, is stolen, etc. That way, you always have a back up copy.
Arizonan: That was good advice. For years, I tried representing my self with little success. I was referred to the DAV several years ago and they have done a good job of representing me. Their major problem is the national organization does not provide enough service officers to adequately staff the local offices. Consequently, the office is always full.