U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D., Ohio) said Mr. Grames’ situation and that of the other 500,000 veterans across the nation who are waiting more than 125 days for claims with the Department of Veterans Affairs to be processed is unacceptable.

“The backlog log for people, for veterans filing for their claims, to start with, is inexcusable,” Mr. Brown said during a news conference Friday at the Lucas County Veterans Service Commission. “There are hundreds of thousands of claims that have not been processed. The waiting list is far too long. Far too many veterans have had to wait weeks and weeks, and sometimes months and even years before they get their claims processed.”

Mr. Brown, a senior member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, called on the Department of Veterans Affairs to eliminate the backlog filed by disabled veterans and their caregivers for services and benefits.

The senator said the Veterans Services Outreach Act would significantly reduce the wait time by providing veterans the information and assistance they need to improve their claims. Also, he asserted the Claims Processing Improvement Act would give the VA the tools it needs to deal with the backlog.