Arizona Representative Ann Kirkpatrick joined colleagues from the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, along with veterans groups, to unveil a 10-bill package designed to help the Department of Veterans’ Affairs accomplish its goal to eliminate the backlog by 2015.
The VA Claims, Operations and Records Efficiency Act (VA CORE) directs the Department of Defense to provide complete service-treatment records to the Department of Veterans Affairs in an efficient, electronic format. The average veteran waits more than 250 days for a decision on a claim. About 175 days of that time is the VA waiting for the DOD to send the complete records, which DOD currently processes on paper rather than electronically.
Kirkpatrick introduced VA CORE in April. All 10 bills in the backlog legislative package have now been introduced.
“Arizona’s District One has nearly 70,000 veterans. These men and women have sacrificed so much—it’s impossible to count the ways,” Kirkpatrick said. “In return, they deserve to have the help and resources they need. Their claims should be resolved in a timely matter, not stuck in a lengthy backlog. Delayed care is denied care.”
Kirkpatrick is Arizona’s only member of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee and is the Ranking Member of its Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee. She has been a leading voice in the calls to address the VA’s massive backlog of claims, which affects too many veterans in Arizona’s District One and across the nation.