Post-Bulletin: Franken, Walz push bill to speed up VA claims

“There are a lot of soldiers and veterans who don’t have that luxury, they are going further into debt, they are having collection issues, they are having foreclosure issues because they are not getting their benefits in a timely manner,” Smith said.

She joined a group of veterans and veterans advocates meeting with Sen. Al Franken and 1st District Rep. Tim Walz on Friday in Rochester to discuss their frustration with how long it is taking the VA to process disability claims.

Earlier this year, the VA’s backlog of cases ballooned to 600,000 disability claims. That number since has dropped to 480,000 claims. Claims are considered backlogged if it takes more than 125 days to process them.

While the situation is starting to improve, Franken and Walz agree that more needs to be done. The Minnesota Democrats have introduced a bill aimed at shrinking the backlog. One of the key provisions would allow veterans to see their local doctors for an initial diagnosis instead of having to go to VA hospitals.

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