Ohio Sen. Brown introduces bill to help veterans with VA claims
Dayton Daily News – For years, Sen. Sherrod Brown’s office has taken complaints from veterans about the Veterans Administration’s slow handling of disability claims. Finally, he asked staff members to call the VA. He found they had to wait anywhere between 28 minutes to nearly an hour.
And even when they answer the phone, the VA often can’t help quickly: Since 2008, the department has seen a 48 percent increase in claims.
Last year the VA processed 1 million claims; it received a total of 1.3 million new claims. And it’s got a backlog of 900,000 disability claims, including more than 25,000 from Ohio. Brown’s office said that Ohio’s backlog is projected to increase by 17 percent in the next four months alone.
