Clinton: Veterans wait too long on claims
By Julie Sherwood, staff writer
Daily Messenger
Posted Dec 09, 2008 @ 04:21 PM
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Canandaigua, N.Y. — Many veterans are waiting six months or longer for the government to process their benefit claims, U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y. said Monday.
More than one million disabled veterans nationwide expect to face a backlog at the Department of Veterans Affairs in the next year, the senator said.
“Too often, our veterans must navigate an outdated claims system and a maze of rules that can defy common sense,” she said.
The people waiting the longest are typically older veterans, according to Colleen Baumann, director of the Ontario County Veterans Service Agency.
The VA has hired coordinators to focus specifically on helping veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan apply for benefits, she explained, adding that new veterans “are getting more assistance.”
Korean War veteran Ralph Calabrese said he has experienced first-hand the long wait and bureaucratic maze of getting a claim through the system. About six months ago he applied for increased benefits pertaining to headaches and other troubles from a blow he received to his head during military service. A letter he received Oct. 28 from the Department of Veterans Affairs stated, “We are still processing your application ... we apologize for the delay.”
Army veteran Alan Merklinger of Hopewell, who was hit by a land mine 50 years ago during military training at Fort Dix, N.J., said he is in a similar situation with a months-long wait for processing of a benefit-claim due to hearing loss.
“I am still waiting,” said Merklinger, a former commander of the Canandaigua chapter of Disabled American Veterans.
Clinton blamed delays on corruption at a VA office in New York City.
In a letter to Veterans Affairs Secretary James Peake, she said an internal investigation revealed mishandling and falsification of information on hundreds of claims at the New York regional office.
The allegations resulted in the firing of a director and five top managers.
Upper-management staff allegedly changed intake dates and prematurely shredded documents, Clinton said.
“Investigators have seen first-hand a startling number of claims” containing doctored dates, neglected mail at processing centers and improper placement of claims, Clinton wrote. “It is my understanding that several employees confessed that they were instructed by their supervisors to enter incorrect dates on the claims in an attempt to manipulate processing times. These allegations, if proven, must be corrected as quickly and responsibly as possible.”
Baumann said veterans processing claims through her office won’t be affected by the troubles at the New York City processing center since claims from her office go to through Buffalo.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Clinton: Veterans wait too long on claims
