A pending Senate bill would improve the processing of VA benefits claims.
The Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs is considering a measure that The American Legion would like to see enacted into law. The 21st Century Veterans Benefits Delivery Act would improve the way that benefits claims are processed by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
The Legion worked on the legislation with Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., and Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa, detailed its support in written testimony submitted for a May 13 hearing by the SVAC. The bill would provide greater accountability in the way VA provides veterans with benefits they have earned.
Some changes the bill would make include:
• Giving veterans the choice to “opt out” of VA-suggested venues for hearings, e.g., choosing to do a video conference instead of a hearing in-person.
• Requiring the Comptroller General to audit claims processing at regional offices of the Veterans Benefits Administration.
• Producing a VA report annually on the capacity of VBA to process benefits claims.
• Increasing effective communication among VA, congressional case workers, and veterans service organizations.
“Similarly to the necessity of communication between VA and veterans, VA needs to provide the necessary communication to VSOs (that) often provide the front line of advocacy for veterans," the Legion stated. "If we are unable to communicate, then a breakdown in the pursuit of benefits can occur.”
The American Legion also expressed its support for several recommendations from the Military Compensation and Retirement Modernization Commission:
• “Sunsetting” provisions of the Montgomery GI Bill, “but Congress should ensure that any inconsistency between (the Montgomery version) and the Post 9/11 GI Bill are identified and rectified prior to merging the two education programs.
• Termination of BAH (Basic Allowance for Housing) payments for child dependents, but the Legion “has concerns about denying the benefit to spouses, especially those who are caregivers to severely disabled veterans.”
• Several recommendations to help servicemembers make a smoother transition to civilian life and careers. The Legion pointed the system used in Texas as a successful model: consolidating veterans employment services within a state veterans commission.
Other Senate bills supported by the Legion include:
• Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act (S.681): To clarify presumptions relating to the exposure of certain veterans who served in the vicinity of the Republic of Vietnam.
• GI Bill Fairness Act (S.602): To consider certain time spent by reservists receiving medical care as active duty for purposes of GI Bill eligibility.
• Veterans Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act (draft): Effective Dec. 1, 2015, to increase the rates of compensation for veterans with service-connected disabilities, and dependency/indemnity compensation rates for survivors.
Click here for the Legion’s complete written testimony.
- Legislative