VA CORE, the bipartisan legislation introduced by U.S. Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, D-Ariz., to help tackle the massive claims backlog at the Department of Veterans Affairs, is now a law. It was included as an amendment in the Department of Defense reauthorization bill signed by the president at the end of 2013.
The passage is a key victory from Kirkpatrick’s work in the 113th Congress on behalf of veterans, and it builds on her veterans-related accomplishments from the 111th Congress. She is Arizona’s only member of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee and serves as Ranking Member of its Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations.
“We have a responsibility to stand up for veterans, and VA CORE is the kind of bipartisan, common-sense effort that can improve their quality of life,” Kirkpatrick said. “I’m so pleased it has become law, but there’s more to be done. I’ll keep listening to our veterans across District One, and I’ll keep working to ensure they have the support and resources they’ve earned.” (audio file attached)
The VA Claims, Operations and Records Efficiency, which passed the House in June, amendment directs the Department of Defense to provide the complete service treatment records of veterans to the Department of Veterans Affairs in an efficient, electronic format. Currently, the average veteran waits more than 250 days for a decision on a claim. About 175 days of that time is the VA waiting for the DOD to send the complete records, which DOD currently processes on paper rather than electronically.
The VA CORE amendment will:
- Codify a plan both agencies agreed upon in February, in which Defense begins the immediate transfer of complete and certified service treatment records to VA, and electronic capabilities are in place by the end of 2013.
- Require the Department of Defense to provide certified, complete and electronic records to the Department of Veterans Affairs following military separation.
Backlog facts:
- The claims backlog is a growing and serious problem. As of December 30, 2013, VA had 636,029 claims pending. Of those, 377,409 claims were pending more than 125 days, at which point they are considered to be backlogged. Click here for weekly updates on VA claims.
- Veterans are filing disability compensation claims at historically high levels. VA now receives well over a million claims every year, and the numbers continue to grow.
- The current paper-based claims system was established following World War I. Since then, statute changes made the process more complex, but no administration invested in updating the system. It was not until 2009 that our nation finally invested heavily in modernizing the claims processing system.
Kirkpatrick has prioritized veterans’ issues on behalf of Arizona’s more than half-million veterans. In recent months, she introduced a bill to strengthen mental health care for rural veterans and their families, and a bill to boost construction of veteran nursing homes on tribal land.
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About Ann Kirkpatrick
Arizona born and raised, Ann Kirkpatrick resides in Flagstaff, and her earliest roots are found in Eastern Arizona in McNary on the White Mountain Apache Nation. Her father ran a general store and her mother was a schoolteacher. Ann graduated from Blue Ridge High School in the White Mountains and then worked her way through the University of Arizona, earning a bachelor’s degree and then a law degree there. After earning her law degree, Ann served the people of Greater Arizona in a variety of positions. In 1980, she became Coconino County’s first female Deputy County Attorney, cracking down on criminals and protecting neighborhoods and families in Northern Arizona. She later served as Sedona’s City Attorney. In November 2004, Ann’s neighbors elected her to the Arizona House of Representatives to represent Legislative District 2, which includes Flagstaff and the Havasupai, Hopi, Hualapai, Navajo, and San Juan Southern Paiute Nations. At the state Capitol, Ann championed fiscal responsibility and quality education. During her 2008-10 term in the U.S. House of Representatives, Ann’s results stood out in Congress, seeing more of her bills and amendments signed into law than almost any other freshman representative. Ann’s hard work created jobs, helped small businesses, hired more border patrol agents, and protected veterans and seniors in Greater Arizona. In November 2012, the voters of Congressional District 1 elected Kirkpatrick to once again represent them in Congress. She serves on the Veterans’ Affairs Committee and the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.