[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 152 (Tuesday, October 29, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1591-E1592]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   ESTABLISHING COMMISSION OR TASK FORCE TO EVALUATE THE BACKLOG OF 
                           DISABILITY CLAIMS

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                           HON. LOIS FRANKEL

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, October 28, 2013

  Ms. FRANKEL of Florida. Mr. Speaker, the veterans' disability claims 
backlog is simply unacceptable. American service members who risk their 
lives to protect our freedoms should not have to wonder if they will 
receive the basic benefits they deserve. Today, more than 405,000 
veterans are waiting for their benefits in this tragically backlogged 
system. These aren't just numbers. These are real people--heroes who 
served our country.
  Take for example Jeff Colaicovo, a veteran living in my district in 
South Florida. Jeff received two Purple Hearts for his courageous 
service during the Vietnam War. He sacrificed for his country, and 
unbelievably, our claims system failed him.
  Until his case was brought to my office's attention earlier this 
year, Jeff had made little progress towards receiving the benefits he 
has earned. In fact, he and his wife spent over two years struggling 
with bills that his benefits should have helped cover. Finally, after 
reaching out to my office, Jeff began receiving his far-overdue 
benefits in June. Jeff, along with all of our nation's veterans, 
deserves better.
  Thankfully, today, we took an important step towards helping our 
veterans by passing H.R. 2189.
  Part of the reason veterans often wait so long for their benefits 
decisions is that the average number of conditions afflicting our 
veterans has grown significantly. This was true for Jeff whose 
conditions include PTSD, loss of hearing, irregular heartbeat, and 
severe back problems. In fact, our service members currently returning 
home from Iraq and Afghanistan submit an average of 8.5 separate 
conditions, whereas WWII veterans typically submitted less than three.
  Under the current system, each medical condition is individually 
adjudicated and the veteran only begins receiving benefits once the 
entire claim has been processed.
  H.R. 2189 will address this issue by requiring the Veterans 
Administration to pay benefits as each element of a veteran's claim is 
reviewed, rather than when the entire package has been processed. This 
would allow veterans to begin receiving benefits checks much sooner.
  While much more still needs to be done, this is an important step to 
help repair a broken system.

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