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.
AP
FILE - In this July 14, 2020 file photo, people walk outside the Louis A. Johnson VA Medical Center in Clarksburg, W.Va.
A report was released Tuesday outlining a long list of failures at the Louis A. Johnson VA Medical Center in Clarksburg, West Virginia that led to the deaths of at least seven men.
The report, from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs Office of Inspector General, was released on the same day 46-year-old
Reta Mays was sentenced to seven consecutive life terms plus 20 years for the killings of the veterans, states that Mays bears the ultimate responsibility for the murders but also notes missteps by leaders of the facility.
Congressmen Lou Correa (D-CA) and Peter Meijer (R-MI) reintroduced The VA Medicinal Cannabis Research Act of 2021. The bipartisan and bicameral legislation directs the Department of Veterans Affairs to perform clinical research on the safety and efficacy of medical cannabis in treating veterans’ post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and chronic pain. An identical version of this legislation was introduced by Senate Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Jon Tester (D-MT) and Dan Sullivan (R-AK). Additionally, the legislation has the support of the House Veterans Affairs Chairman Mark Takano.
Rep. Lou Correa said, “With the opioid crisis raging across America, it is imperative to the health and safety of our veterans that we find alternative treatments for chronic pain and service-related injuries. Throughout my district, I consistently meet veterans who depend on cannabis to manage their pain. Numerous veterans attest to the treatment benefits of medical cannabis. It’s time the V
It s about time : With Kamala Harris and Nancy Pelosi, women share the dais for the first time Savannah Behrmann and Chelsey Cox, USA TODAY
For the first time, two women sat behind a US president as he addressed Congress
Replay Video UP NEXT
WASHINGTON – For the first time in history, two women sat behind a president during an address to a joint session of Congress.
The historic image during Joe Biden s speech Wednesday is 245 years in the making since the nation s founding. Madam Speaker, Madam Vice President, Biden said as he took the podium. No president has ever said those words from this podium and it s about time.
It s about time : With Kamala Harris and Nancy Pelosi, women share the dais for the first time Savannah Behrmann and Chelsey Cox, USA TODAY
For the first time, two women sat behind a US president as he addressed Congress
Replay Video UP NEXT
WASHINGTON – For the first time in history, two women sat behind a president during an address to a joint session of Congress.
The historic image during Joe Biden s speech Wednesday is 245 years in the making since the nation s founding. Madam Speaker, Madam Vice President, Biden said as he took the podium. No president has ever said those words from this podium and it s about time.