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176,00 Disability Claims from Iraq, Afghanistan Vets
Jan. 11, 2007 5:51pm • Register • Help
Disability Claims Sideline Veterans Care
VA Facilities Provide Good Medical Treatment, But Vets Face Long Claims Backlog
(CBS) Sean Lewis lost his right leg to a mortar shell in Iraq. But as CBS News correspondent Wyatt Andrews reports, he proudly shows off his state-of-the-art prosthetic.
Lewis has nothing but praise for how his injury was treated, both by the Army and the Veterans Administration. But the way the VA handled his claim for disability is a much different story.
"Probably the worst thing in the world," Lewis says of the way his claim was handled. "On the medical side, you can't rave enough about it. On the benefit side, you don't have anything but complaints."
Lewis is upset because eight months after his discharge from the Army, the VA still hasn't determined his final disability rating. That delay has given him $1,000 a month less than he was owed and given him trouble with the mortgage. He adds that he has "problems with bills, stress in the relationship because you are having problems with the money."
When Lewis left Walter Reed Hospital, his disability records were supposed to be transferred immediately. Instead, he says, the VA lost his files, a charge the VA denies.
"I didn't expect eight months of people having me chase my own tail around in circles," Lewis says.
According to the nation's top veterans organizations, Lewis' long wait to get what he's owed is typical. In a report on the needs of young veterans, the groups said the VA benefits system suffered from "inadequate funding" and "insufficient manpower."
The problem, everyone agrees, is the overwhelming numbers. Veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan have already filed 176,000 new disability claims, but have run into a VA backlog of more than 400,000 cases. VA officials say reducing this backlog is their top priority.
"I am not happy with it. I want it to be shorter," says Secretary Jim Nicholson.
Nicholson says the hurdle is that every claim has to be verified when none of the records are on computers. "They're all paper and some are (very) thick. We are working this; it's a big deal for us. It's a high priority," Nicholson says.
But Nicholson insists the VA is not understaffed, an assertion veterans groups call absurd. Lewis sees a mistake-prone agency in need of a wartime upgrade.
"We are out there doing what we have to do for the betterment of the country," Lewis says. "Why should it take eight months to file paperwork when you have everything you need to file a claim?"
With a surge in troops headed to Iraq, more casualties and disabilities can be expected in the future. They will add to the surge in frustration veterans like Lewis feel already.
Disability Claims Sideline Veterans Care
VA Facilities Provide Good Medical Treatment, But Vets Face Long Claims Backlog
(CBS) Sean Lewis lost his right leg to a mortar shell in Iraq. But as CBS News correspondent Wyatt Andrews reports, he proudly shows off his state-of-the-art prosthetic.
Lewis has nothing but praise for how his injury was treated, both by the Army and the Veterans Administration. But the way the VA handled his claim for disability is a much different story.
"Probably the worst thing in the world," Lewis says of the way his claim was handled. "On the medical side, you can't rave enough about it. On the benefit side, you don't have anything but complaints."
Lewis is upset because eight months after his discharge from the Army, the VA still hasn't determined his final disability rating. That delay has given him $1,000 a month less than he was owed and given him trouble with the mortgage. He adds that he has "problems with bills, stress in the relationship because you are having problems with the money."
When Lewis left Walter Reed Hospital, his disability records were supposed to be transferred immediately. Instead, he says, the VA lost his files, a charge the VA denies.
"I didn't expect eight months of people having me chase my own tail around in circles," Lewis says.
According to the nation's top veterans organizations, Lewis' long wait to get what he's owed is typical. In a report on the needs of young veterans, the groups said the VA benefits system suffered from "inadequate funding" and "insufficient manpower."
The problem, everyone agrees, is the overwhelming numbers. Veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan have already filed 176,000 new disability claims, but have run into a VA backlog of more than 400,000 cases. VA officials say reducing this backlog is their top priority.
"I am not happy with it. I want it to be shorter," says Secretary Jim Nicholson.
Nicholson says the hurdle is that every claim has to be verified when none of the records are on computers. "They're all paper and some are (very) thick. We are working this; it's a big deal for us. It's a high priority," Nicholson says.
But Nicholson insists the VA is not understaffed, an assertion veterans groups call absurd. Lewis sees a mistake-prone agency in need of a wartime upgrade.
"We are out there doing what we have to do for the betterment of the country," Lewis says. "Why should it take eight months to file paperwork when you have everything you need to file a claim?"
With a surge in troops headed to Iraq, more casualties and disabilities can be expected in the future. They will add to the surge in frustration veterans like Lewis feel already.
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