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Former Trump administration Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie grew up at Fort Bragg surrounded by Vietnam veterans affected by the toxic chemical Agent Orange. His father, too, was grievously wounded in Vietnam. Still, when given the chance to change policies at the Department of Veterans Affairs to help post-9/11 service members suffering from diseases related to toxic chemical exposure, critics say he chose not to.
Republicans demand briefing on veterans’ records backlog that could take 2 years to clear
Updated 10:52 PM;
WASHINGTON A group of House Republicans on Thursday demanded a briefing from National Archives chief David Ferriero on how he intends to eliminate a bureaucratic backlog born out of the coronavirus pandemic that could force some veterans to wait up to two years for certain benefits.
The National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, where many of these paper records are stored, shut down in March 2020, along with many other government buildings. The building has sat empty, with employees working remotely.
Meanwhile, records requests, most of which require someone to physically search for documents within the building, piled up. The backlog has grown to more than 499,000 requests, a spokesperson for the National Archives told Roll Call in April, and will take 18 to 24 months to clear once the center is staffed at full capacity.