[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 6]
[House]
[Pages 7901-7902]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1040
            MORE CAN BE DONE FOR VETERANS ACROSS THE NATION

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
California (Mr. McNerney) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. McNERNEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise to talk about the veterans' 
disability backlog, but this time on a positive note.
  First I want to thank Appropriations Subcommittee on Military 
Construction and Veterans Committee Chair John Culberson and Ranking 
Member Sanford Bishop for their work on the fiscal year 2014 Military 
Construction and Veterans Affairs appropriations bill and for including 
report language that my California colleague, Representative Paul Cook, 
and I recommended to address the backlog of claims at the Department of 
Veterans Affairs.
  Our veterans are heroes, and they deserve the benefits they've 
earned. The VA has set a goal of processing all disability claims 
within 125 days by the year 2015. This is an ambitious goal that 
deserves our attention as the agency works to meet its self-imposed 
deadline.
  Unfortunately, too many VA regional offices across the country are 
underperforming by failing to process benefits claims for veterans in a 
timely manner. Recent data indicates that it takes 552 days, on 
average, for a claim to be processed at the VA's Oakland regional 
office, which serves the veterans in my district. This is unacceptable. 
While I'm pleased that the VA has made a concerted effort to improve 
accuracy and timeliness at the Oakland RO, more can be done for 
veterans across the Nation.
  The VA has made a genuine effort to help veterans suffering from 
Agent Orange, posttraumatic stress, and to recognize the special needs 
of women veterans, among others. In addition, the VA recently announced 
it would mandate overtime at its regional offices and place a priority 
on claims pending for more than 1 year.
  However, we must hold the VA accountable for its results. Additional 
oversight and accountability will not only benefit our Nation's 
veterans and their families, but it will allow Congress to ensure the 
VA has the resources it needs to properly support our heroes.
  In addition to these efforts, I was joined by a bipartisan group of 
colleagues in requesting that the VA submit quarterly reports for each 
regional office where disability claims are pending for an average of 
200 days or more. These reports must outline any progress the RO has 
made as well as the steps it's taking to reduce the backlogs, such as 
hiring more claims processors or requiring additional training.
  I am pleased that this language was included in the committee report 
accompanying H.R. 2216. This is a move in the right direction as 
Congress continues its oversight of the VA to improve the lives of our 
veterans.

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