News
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By Leo Shane III, Military Times Staff Writer | 12:10 p.m. EST December 31, 2014
The Veterans Affairs Department boasted another dramatic drop in its backlog of benefits claims in 2014, but will need an extra boost in coming months to meet its goal of zeroing out the payout delays by the end of 2015.
The backlog — the number of first-time VA benefits claims unresolved for more than four months — sits at around 245,000 cases, according to departmental data. That's down more than 160,000 cases in 2014 and more than 250,000 cases since the start of 2013.
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By Kellie Lunney
November 6, 2014
Government Executive
VA Secretary Bob McDonald on Thursday defended his commitment to holding employees accountable and firing them when necessary and according to the law.
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By Army Sgt. 1st Class Tyrone C. Marshall Jr.
DoD News, Defense Media Activity
WASHINGTON, Sept. 3, 2014 – Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel announced supplemental guidance to military records boards to ensure consistency in considering veterans’ discharge upgrade requests related to post-traumatic stress disorder, Defense Department spokesman Army Col. Steven Warren told Pentagon reporters today.
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By Leo Shane III
Military Times Staff writer
Jul. 16, 2014 - 08:08PM
Veterans Affairs Department officials want nearly $18 billion more in funding over the next three years to hire more clinicians, lease more space and cut down on wait times for medical appointments.
The money is also partly designed to serve as a down payment on rebuilding VA’s reputation, proving to the public that with enough resources, the department can once again be a reliable asset for veterans seeking care.
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By SYDNEY J. FREEDBERG JR.
Breaking Defense
June 11, 2014 at 11:48 AM
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By Patricia Kime
Military Times Staff writer
May. 12, 2014 - 03:38PM
As Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki prepares to testify Thursday before a Senate committee, he will have to explain why problems with the VA appointment system — which include doctoring records to show only acceptable wait times for patients — have endured for a decade.
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By Patricia Kime, Staff writer
April 11, 2014 - 04:23PM
The White House continued its focus on veterans and military families by announcing new programs Friday to expand support and services available to those who care for injured or ill troops.
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From a Social Security Administration News Release
WASHINGTON, March 18, 2014 – Social Security claims from veterans with a Veterans Affairs Department disability compensation rating of 100 percent permanent and total have a new process that will treat their applications as high priority and issue expedited decisions.
Carolyn W. Colvin, acting Social Security commissioner, said the new process is similar to the way the agency currently handles disability claims from wounded warriors.
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Categories: POW/MIAWASHINGTON -- In the wake of numerous reports of misconduct and poor management practices by personnel charged with recovering and identifying the remains of missing servicemembers from past conflicts, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel has ordered the Pentagon to come up with a plan to consolidate all Defense Department assets into a single, more accountable entity that will manage all personnel accounting resources, research and operations.