VA CORE, the bipartisan legislation designed to help tackle the massive claims backlog at the Department of Veterans Affairs, is now a law. It was included as an amendment in the Department of Defense reauthorization bill signed by the president at the end of 2013.
“It is my honor to represent 85,000 veterans in Southern Arizona – men and women, who have stepped forward to serve their nation,” Congressman Ron Barber said on Monday.
“We have a responsibility to stand up for veterans, and VA CORE is the kind of bipartisan, common-sense effort that can improve their quality of life,” Kirkpatrick said.
The VA Claims, Operations and Records Efficiency amendment, which passed the House in June, directs the Department of Defense to provide the complete service treatment records of veterans to the Department of Veterans Affairs in an efficient, electronic format. Currently, 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.
The VA CORE amendment will:
•Codify a plan both agencies agreed upon in February, in which Defense begins the immediate transfer of complete and certified service treatment records to VA, and electronic capabilities are in place by the end of 2013.
•Require the Department of Defense to provide certified, complete and electronic records to the Department of Veterans Affairs following military separation.
Backlog facts:
•The claims backlog is a growing and serious problem. As of December 30, 2013, VA had 636,029 claims pending. Of those, 377,409 claims were pending more than 125 days, at which point they are considered to be backlogged.
•Veterans are filing disability compensation claims at historically high levels. VA now receives well over a million claims every year, and the numbers continue to grow.
•The current paper-based claims system was established following World War I.