VA: Doing it Right Big Time!

VA's Under Secretary for Benefits, retired Brigadier General Allison Hickey, announced some time ago a terrific, terrific, superb prioritization for veterans' claims, the last line of which satisfies me completely!

Finally, people leaving active duty can expect their VA claims to be awarded within two months of separation! It used to be years...literally. Years during which the VA refused medical care and every other type of benefit associated with "service connection."

Like other retirees, I am disappointed with the pace of my own VA claims, but I am perfectly willing to wait in line for a decision behind troops just coming off active duty. This arrangement, plus "presumptive eligibility" to allow VA to treat veterans until their claims work through the system, meets any concerns I have about VA refusing care to those veterans who need it!

Well done, VA!

As we focus on the oldest claims in our inventory, we will continue to prioritize claims for homeless Veterans and those with extreme financial hardship, the terminally ill, former Prisoners of War, Medal of Honor recipients, and Veterans filing Fully Developed Claims. Also, those who can no longer serve in the military because of combat wounds, or other non-combat injuries or illnesses, will continue to have their disability compensation processed through the Integrated Disability Evaluation System (IDES), which is separate and distinct from the inventory of claims impacted by this initiative.  Wounded, ill and injured Service members on average receive their disability compensation within two months of leaving the military."