Report: Too many veterans wait more than a year for disability claim to be processed

October 14th, 2009 VA to ease way for vets to get stress disabilityWASHINGTON — Female soldiers and others serving in dangerous roles behind the front lines in Iraq and Afghanistan have long complained it was hard to prove their combat experience when applying for disability for post-traumatic stress disorder. That could soon change.

September 25th, 2009 Shinseki: VA working to resolve GI Bill issuesWASHINGTON — Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki said Friday he's hopeful that many of the tens of thousands of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans awaiting payment under the new GI Bill will get paid next month. Shinseki said veterans were right in complaining about delays under the newly enacted Post 9/11 GI Bill, which was the largest expansion of education benefits since World War II.

September 24th, 2009 Veterans awaiting GI Bill turn to loans, parentsCOCONUT CREEK, Fla. — Brandon Thomas was hit by shrapnel from a rocket-propelled grenade and twice grazed by bullets fired by the Taliban during his final tour with the Army in Afghanistan.

September 23rd, 2009 VA IG says too many vets wait a year for claimWASHINGTON — The Veterans Affairs Department's inspector general says too many veterans' disability claims take more than a year to process. An audit released Wednesday has shown that a year ago, 11,000 veterans had claims pending more than a year.

September 22nd, 2009 VA IG says suicide prevention programs implementedWASHINGTON — The Veterans Affairs Department appears to have stepped up its suicide prevention efforts. The agency's inspector took a look at 24 facilities and found they generally met new requirements like appointing suicide prevention coordinators to track high-risk veterans, according to a report released Tuesday.

September 15th, 2009 DAV seeks participates in online 'march'WASHINGTON — The Disabled American Veterans service organization is encouraging veterans and others to march in Washington — online at least. In what it dubs the "Million Claims March," the advocacy group is using social networking sites to encourage veterans to participate online in chats starting Tuesday about the backlog in disability claims at the Veterans Affairs Department and other veterans issues.

September 1st, 2009 New GI Bill housing checks flowing but some delaysFacing a rush of last-minute claims, the Department of Veterans Affairs has cut housing checks to tens of thousands of veterans returning to college under the newly expanded GI Bill but officials acknowledge several thousand may get their money later than expected. With the academic year recently under way, Tuesday was the first day many veterans were due their first monthly housing stipends, which range from under $1,000 to upward of $2,500 depending on factors including location.

August 24th, 2009 1,200 veterans wrongly told they got fatal diseaseCHARLESTON, W.Va. — Former Air Force Reservist Gale Reid received a letter from the Veterans Affairs Department that told her she had Lou Gehrig's disease, and she immediately put herself through a battery of painful, expensive tests.

August 17th, 2009 Veterans to routinely be offered HIV testsWASHINGTON — The Veterans Affairs Department on Monday began offering routine HIV tests to veterans who receive medical care. Under the new policy, veterans must verbally consent to the test, and they can opt to decline it.

August 17th, 2009 Obama: VA care not affected by health overhaulPHOENIX — President Barack Obama says a proposed overhaul of the nation's health care system is not going to change how veterans get their medical services. Obama on Monday told a convention of the Veterans of Foreign Wars that no one in Washington is talking about taking away their benefits.

July 31st, 2009 Disability benefit claims surgingWASHINGTON — Social Security officials say they expect an even larger spike in new disability claims than they had expected, as aging, injured baby boomers tumble out of the work force and need income. Officials estimate they'll receive 3.3 million new disability claims over the next year, up from their previous estimate of 3 million projected just five months ago.

July 27th, 2009 Vets affected by VA hospital errors to file claimsCHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — An attorney is preparing to ask the U.S.

June 23rd, 2009 Philly VA to research homelessness among vetsPHILADELPHIA — A new federal agency dedicated to eliminating homelessness among veterans has been established in Philadelphia. The National Center on Homelessness Among Veterans plans to provide data, research and analysis to policymakers in hopes of ending the problem within five years.

June 18th, 2009 Number of VA claims poised to hit 1 millionWASHINGTON — This isn't the same as getting a free duffel bag for being the millionth person to go through the turnstiles: The Veterans Affairs Department appears poised to have hit the 1 million milestone on claims it still hasn't processed. This unwelcome marker approaches as the agency scrambles to hire and train new claims processors, which can take two years.

March 19th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Disability groups Wednesday hailed the Communist Party of India-Marxist election manifesto, saying the party was the first to recognise and address administrative issues on disability. 'We are pleased to see that there is a separate and distinct mention of differently abled people, under the chapter on 'Peoples, Rights' in the the CPI-M manifesto.