VAntage Point
DAV volunteers clean, highlight American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial
Event was group s first effort since 2019 due to COVID-19 pandemic
This was the group’s first volunteer cleaning effort since 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The volunteers were from DAV Chapter 10 out of Arlington-Fairfax in Virginia. A volunteer said taking care of the memorial for the past several years helps tell the story of disabled Veterans.
“We want to make sure it looks good and at the same time, when we’re cleaning it, we get to read everything, too, all over again,” Marine Veteran Shane Liermann said. “They resonate with many of us being disabled Veterans. We want to make sure that everybody else that’s here gets to see that message as clear as possible.”
A VA facility in Cincinnati, (Image credit: Jonathan Weiss/Shutterstock.com)
The Veterans Benefits Administration is expecting its backlog of benefits claims to spike this summer as the office continues to reckon with the full impact of the pandemic and address claimants ushered in by Congressional mandates and the courts.
The backlog of claims is a chronic challenge that s long been the target of agency goals, but doubled over the course of the pandemic.
The backlog of disability compensation and pension claims requiring a rating decision that have been sitting for over 125 days is currently at 191,700 claims, said Thomas Murphy, the acting under secretary for benefits at the VBA during a hearing held by the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs on May 12.
By NIKKI WENTLING | STARS AND STRIPES Published: April 29, 2021 WASHINGTON A contingent of Democrats and Republicans is working to reform how the Department of Veterans Affairs handles claims of military toxic exposure, taking advantage of what the lawmakers call a historic opportunity to make comprehensive change. During this congressional session, lawmakers have introduced two dozen bills to help veterans suffering from illnesses believed to be caused by toxic exposure during overseas deployments. These veterans face difficulty securing benefits through the VA, often having to fight through multiple rejections. Some of the bills focus on veterans of certain eras; others address specific illnesses believed to be caused by toxic exposure. Senators Jon Tester, D-Mont., and Jerry Moran, R-Kan., leaders of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committees, intend to combine many of the bills into one large piece of legislation.
Sweeping health and benefits changes could come soon for vets suffering toxic exposure ills April 28 A service member watches over a the burn pit in Al Anbar Province of Iraq in May 2007. (Cpl. Samuel D. Corum/Marine Corps) Lawmakers on Wednesday launched their latest effort to piece together comprehensive legislation on veterans’ toxic exposure illnesses with the goal of providing a clear path forward by the start of the summer. At a hearing on the issue before the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, Chairman Jon Tester, D-Mont., said he wanted to mark up the package “before Memorial Day” and promised a “bold” new approach to getting more medical care and benefits to veterans suffering from illnesses connected to burn pits, chemical exposure and other potential poisoning while on duty.
‘Sense of urgency’: Lawmakers introduce several bills to aid vets exposed to toxic fumes
A burn pit at Balad Air Base, Iraq, in 2008.
MICHAEL GISICK/STARS AND STRIPES
By SARAH CAMMARATA | STARS AND STRIPES Published: April 9, 2021 WASHINGTON Michigan Reps. Elissa Slotkin, a Democrat, and Peter Meijer, a Republican, introduced a bill Thursday that removes a key barrier to health benefits for veterans exposed to toxic fumes while serving overseas. It is the seventh piece of legislation introduced in Congress in recent weeks designed to help veterans who were exposed to fumes from burn pits while serving on military installations. On both sides of the political aisle, lawmakers in Washington are ramping up efforts to expand care for veterans who became sick after breathing the toxic fumes. And the litany of bills illustrate the growing appetite in Congress to address the issue, especially with President Joe Biden believing his son died from toxic exposure.