I recently had the honor of presenting a long-overdue Bronze Star to Army Corporal Merle “Jack” Hammersley, a veteran of World War II. After Corporal Hammersley’s family contacted my office, we worked quickly to secure the medal to honor his contributions to our country.
Part of the “Greatest Generation,” Corporal Hammersley represents the very best of our country, and the Bronze Star recognizes and honors his bravery, service and sacrifice.
As we pay tribute to Corporal Hammersley and all our heroes this Veterans Day, I’m pleased the Senate unanimously approved an increase in the cost-of-living adjustment for veterans with service-connected disabilities starting December 1st.
But too many veterans in North Carolina have not received any of their hard-earned benefits. In fact, I was stunned to discover that more than 7,000 veterans waited at least a year for the Winston-Salem Regional VA office to process their disability claims; worse yet, some waited as long as two years.
To address these unacceptable delays, I urged VA Secretary Eric Shinseki to send a senior official from VA headquarters to the Winston-Salem Regional office to outline a plan to clear the backlog once and for all. In response, he sent Undersecretary for Benefits Allison Hickey to the Winston-Salem office and hired 25 additional employees.
CLICK HERE TO WATCH NEWS COVERAGE OF A WORLD WAR II VET RECEIVING HIS LONG-OVERDUE BRONZE STAR
During her recent visit, I met with Undersecretary Hickey, who said the logjam of 700 veterans waiting up to two years has been eliminated. Furthermore, the number of veterans waiting more than a year for a decision has been cut nearly in half. And the Winston-Salem office now processes a claim in 200 days instead of the 329 days it took a year ago.
I’m pleased to see progress, but 200 days is still too long. We must do better. I’m optimistic that $190 million in additional funding this year will help the VA make further progress, but the VA and Department of Defense should also switch from a paper record system to an electronic one. Currently, the VA relies on service medical records delivered by paper. It’s a sluggish, outdated system that contributes to 70 percent of wait times for veterans seeking an answer to their claims, and we must bring the VA into the 21st century.
Once veterans receive an initial decision, they shouldn’t face another long delay when they appeal. Yet the backlog of appeals claims continues to grow. In fact, over 11,000 appeals sit in limbo at the Winston-Salem office, and, inexplicably, some veterans in North Carolina wait for a decision for up to four years.
I will continue to monitor the situation at the Winston-Salem office, which handles claims for most veterans across North Carolina, and I won’t be satisfied until the VA eliminates the backlog and establishes procedures to prevent future backlogs. Our veterans deserve a solution to this problem as soon as possible.
Sincerely,
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