The Veteran Thread

Greyson · 12-20-2012, 11:02 AM

Number of veterans who die waiting for benefits claims skyrockets

Long wait times contribute to delays of tens of thousands of benefits, pensions

By Aaron Glantz on December 20, 2012 - 12:00 a.m. PST

Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, said the data confirmed the worst fears of many veterans and members of Congress.

“The common refrain we hear from many veterans is, ‘Delay, deny, wait till I die,’ ” said Miller, who called the burgeoning backlog of benefits claims a “national embarrassment.”

Nationwide, about 900,000 veterans and their families have been waiting about nine months for a decision on their claims, with those in America’s major urban areas waiting the longest. As of October, the most recent month for which numbers are available, the average wait time for a veteran was 15 months in Chicago, 16 months in New York and a year and a half in Los Angeles.

http://www.baycitizen.org/veterans/s...eid=23f9563460

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12-20-2012, 11:02 AM	#17
Greyson Infamous Member How Do You Identify?: Transmasculine/Non-Binary Preferred Pronoun?: Hy (Pronounced He) Relationship Status: Married Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: SF Bay Area Posts: 6,589 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 21,132 Thanked 8,153 Times in 2,006 Posts Rep Power: 21474858	Unacceptable (aka "Talk is Cheap") Number of veterans who die waiting for benefits claims skyrockets Long wait times contribute to delays of tens of thousands of benefits, pensions By Aaron Glantz on December 20, 2012 - 12:00 a.m. PST Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, said the data confirmed the worst fears of many veterans and members of Congress. “The common refrain we hear from many veterans is, ‘Delay, deny, wait till I die,’ ” said Miller, who called the burgeoning backlog of benefits claims a “national embarrassment.” Nationwide, about 900,000 veterans and their families have been waiting about nine months for a decision on their claims, with those in America’s major urban areas waiting the longest. As of October, the most recent month for which numbers are available, the average wait time for a veteran was 15 months in Chicago, 16 months in New York and a year and a half in Los Angeles. http://www.baycitizen.org/veterans/s...eid=23f9563460 __________________ Sometimes you don't realize your own strength until you come face to face with your greatest weakness. - Susan Gale