The Department of Veterans Affairs began the process May 3 of sending all the claims to five offices across the U.S. where processors are undergoing more training. Government watchdogs have recently criticized the agency’s handling of claims for military sexual trauma.
This week in Congress: Lawmakers eye mid-summer for big budget decisions May 9 Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn. and chairwoman of the House Appropriations Committee, holds up a chart during a coronavirus hearing on Capitol Hill on June 4, 2020. (Al Drago/AP) House appropriators are planning to mark-up their federal budget bills for fiscal 2022 in June, giving lawmakers a few weeks to review their plans and hopes for Defense Department and Veterans Affairs spending next year. On Thursday, during an online event sponsored by the Brookings Institution, House Appropriations Chairwoman Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., said she expects her panel to mark up all of the spending bills next month, with the goal of floor passage in July. Senate lawmakers haven’t released a timeline for their budget work yet.
By NIKKI WENTLING | STARS AND STRIPES Published: April 29, 2021
Stars and Stripes is making stories on the coronavirus pandemic available free of charge. See more staff and wire stories here. Sign up for our daily coronavirus newsletter here. Please support our journalism with a subscription. WASHINGTON National veterans’ groups urged lawmakers Wednesday to pass legislation to help families of coronavirus victims gain access to government benefits. John Rowan, national president of Vietnam Veterans of America, said that early in the pandemic his group heard from families of deceased veterans who were having trouble securing survivor benefits through the Department of Veterans Affairs. The VA was denying claims because the death certificates said the veterans died of the coronavirus, rather than underlying conditions that stemmed from military service.
WASHINGTON National veterans’ groups urged lawmakers Wednesday to pass legislation to help families of coronavirus victims gain access to government benefits.
John Rowan, national president of Vietnam Veterans of America, said that early in the pandemic his group heard from families of deceased veterans who were having trouble securing survivor benefits through the Department of Veterans Affairs. The VA was denying claims because the death certificates said the veterans died of the coronavirus, rather than underlying conditions that stemmed from military service.
“We want to make sure it’s understood that, while COVID started this whole thing, the underlying conditions really killed the veteran,” Rowan said. “We want their families to get their due.”
By NIKKI WENTLING | STARS AND STRIPES Published: April 29, 2021 WASHINGTON A contingent of Democrats and Republicans is working to reform how the Department of Veterans Affairs handles claims of military toxic exposure, taking advantage of what the lawmakers call a historic opportunity to make comprehensive change. During this congressional session, lawmakers have introduced two dozen bills to help veterans suffering from illnesses believed to be caused by toxic exposure during overseas deployments. These veterans face difficulty securing benefits through the VA, often having to fight through multiple rejections. Some of the bills focus on veterans of certain eras; others address specific illnesses believed to be caused by toxic exposure. Senators Jon Tester, D-Mont., and Jerry Moran, R-Kan., leaders of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committees, intend to combine many of the bills into one large piece of legislation.