Noteboom The Law Firm

VA Sec. Says Department on Target to Reduce Claim Processing Times by 2015

Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Sec. Eric Shinseki claims the VA is meeting the goals that were set when he took office more than 2 years ago. According to him, the VA will continue to grow and improve veterans disability services.

Next year the VA will open up a new medical center in North Las Vegas. The medical center will come with a $600 million price tag and will be considered a "crown jewel" in the VA health care system. It will span 147 acres and will take 6 months to equip and staff once its construction is completed in December. The center will boast:

 

·      90 hospital beds;

·      140 nursing home beds;

·      a mental health facility;

·      an outpatient clinic; and

·      a solar capacity power plant.

 

The medical center will serve as an "economic impact" on the area to the tune of $1.2 billion in its first 5 years. The completed center will require 1,850 medical jobs; 450 of which will be new. Those new positions will generate average salaries of $108,000, which will include benefits.

Sec. Shinseki also spoke to reducing the VA claims backlog the agency is facing, which hovers somewhere near 1 million. According to Sec. Shinseki, his No. 1 priority is reducing the backlog, which he plans on doing by converting their current paper system to an automated system.

The VA is receiving more claims than it's processing, despite hiring on more people to do the actual processing. The current wait time is about 160 days, and Sec. Shinseki has stated he plans on reducing that to 125 days by the year 2015. Automation is the only way to handle the increased amounts of incoming claims.

If you are a disabled veteran who has been denied disability compensation or have not yet applied for benefits from the VA, a South Florida disability attorney from LaVan & Neidenberg is ready to help. To learn if you are entitled to certain programs and benefits contact our veterans disability rights firm today - 1-888-234-5758.