This article was republished with permission from 草莓传媒’s news partners at .聽Sign up for today.
This content was republished with permission from 草莓传媒鈥檚 news partners at Maryland Matters. Sign up for today.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is processing claims at the fastest rate in its history, hoping to avoid a significant backlog as hundreds of thousands of veterans apply for health care and benefits under the landmark toxic exposure law Congress passed earlier this year.
The day after President Biden signed the bill into law in August, veterans set an all-time record for benefits claims filed online and more than 136,000 have applied for benefits under the toxic exposure law as of mid-November. The VA expects the number of veterans and surviving family members applying could reach more than 700,000 in the coming months.
To address the surge in claims, VA is hiring more employees to provide health care and process applications, but officials do expect an increase in the backlog in the short term.
Joshua Jacobs, who is performing the delegable duties of the VA under secretary for benefits, said in mid-November that the VA is 鈥渋n a better position to tackle this increased workload鈥� than it was in 2013 when the agency was widely rebuked for letting the backlog swell to more than 600,000.
鈥淔or members who followed the claims backlog for that long, you may be asking, 鈥楢re we about to watch the same story unfold here today?,鈥欌�� he told members of the U.S. Senate at a hearing. 鈥淚鈥檓 happy to say that today, we are in a better position to tackle this increased workload.鈥�
Jacobs said the VA moving to a paperless system and hiring of thousands more people will help avoid a significant backlog in the months to come as hundreds of thousands of veterans likely apply for the health care and benefits聽.
鈥淎s we continue to encourage more veterans and survivors to apply for their PACT Act benefits, we do expect an increase to the inventory and the backlog in the short term,鈥� he said at an oversight hearing of the Senate Veterans鈥� Affairs Committee.
Jacobs noted the VA has gotten the total backlog down to its lowest in years, below 150,000 claims as of this month. He also said the VA is encouraging veterans and eligible surviving family members of deceased veterans now covered under the toxic exposure law to apply before Aug. 10, 2023, on the VA鈥檚 website or with an accredited representative at a veterans service organization in order to get the earliest possible effective date.
The VA has set up a website at va.gov/pact as well as a phone number, 800-698-2411, for veterans to call for more information or to file a claim.
鈥楾here are going to be hiccups鈥�
Montana Democratic Sen. Jon Tester, chairman of the committee, said that everyone expects 鈥渢here are going to be hiccups鈥� implementing the sweeping law that鈥檚 the largest expansion of health care and benefits in the VA鈥檚 history.
鈥淰eterans who previously filed claims will now hear of many more of their brothers and sisters joining them in line,鈥� Tester said. 鈥淏ut the VA must ensure that each of them gets the right decision as quickly as possible.鈥�
As more new faces show up in hospital waiting rooms, Tester said, 鈥淰A must ensure they get the quality care they deserve.鈥� He also noted that while the panel will work on some new legislation during the next Congress, the committee鈥檚 primary focus will be on oversight of the VA.
Kansas Sen. Jerry Moran, the top Republican on the committee, said his main priority for the panel is the 鈥渁ppropriate, sufficient implementation of the legislation鈥� Congress has passed, including the PACT Act.
Shereef Elnahal, under secretary for health, said the VA is working to 鈥渞each every veteran who may qualify for new benefits and care to make sure they are aware鈥� of what the toxic exposure law does and how to apply for benefits.
Department leaders are looking to increase staffing to handle the influx of veterans and to start on 鈥済roundbreaking new research on toxic exposure,鈥� Elnahal said.
The department is reaching out to more than 300,000 veterans who have put information into the burn pits registry and planning to hold more than 80 events the week of Dec. 10 to let veterans know about the new law.
They鈥檝e started a standard toxic exposure screening for veterans going to primary care clinics and in 鈥渏ust over one week, this clinical screening has already reached 166,000 veterans with over 37% reporting exposures,鈥� Elnahal told the panel.
The VA, Elnahal said, is working on a plan to boost hiring in rural areas, though he told the committee that might be easier if Congress implements a section of the president鈥檚 budget request that lifts the $400,000 cap on salaries.
鈥淚n order to recruit the right folks 鈥� on the physician, dentist and podiatrist side 鈥� it鈥檚 becoming much more difficult, especially in rural areas, as salaries go up and the health care labor market becomes more difficult,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd we would be able to pay more innovatively as well, to incentivize the right behavior among these clinicians.鈥�
More outreach needed
The Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America believes the very beginning of the implementation has gone well so far.
But the organization that represents more than 425,000 members says both the VA and the U.S. Department of Defense need to do a lot more to reach all the veterans who are eligible.
鈥淚AVA played a lead role along with our VSO partners in getting this landmark legislation passed into law, so we are greatly vested in its success,鈥� IAVA Executive Vice President for Government Relations Tom Porter said in a written statement.
鈥淲e are encouraged by the energy in the initial roll-out of the new law by VA Secretary McDonough and his team, as well as the commitment to oversight by the House and Senate Veterans Committees,鈥� he said. 鈥淎ll parties, including VSOs, must make every effort to inform veterans of their new benefits.鈥�
