VA claims backlog scrutinized

In early April, American Legion Veterans Affairs & Rehabilitation Director Barry Searle and Ian DePlanque, assistant director for Claims Service, attended a joint veterans service organization meeting with Department of Veterans Affairs' officials to address the claims backlog and ways to improve the overall claims process.

The meeting was a day-long process with many members of VA's central office staff in the Veterans' Benefits Administration and provided a dialogue of insight between both sides as to the best possible solutions to address ongoing problems within VA's claims process. VA is struggling against a claims backlog of hundreds of thousands of claims, and their accuracy rate is far below their stated target of 98 percent accuracy. Working from the standpoint of being partners in resolving these issues, VA came to work through ideas and solutions with veterans organizations, including the Legion, Disabled American Veterans, AMVETS, the Military Order of the Purple Heart, Paralyzed Veterans of America, Veterans of Foreign Wars and Vietnam Veterans of America.