Over the summer, a Department of Veterans Affairs whistleblower came forward claiming that over 34,000 American veterans have been denied benefits, including access to essential healthcare. These veterans were denied care through no fault of their own, rather as a result of incorrect processing requirements and alleged intentional expiration of applications at the VA. If these allegations prove true, and veterans are being denied access to critical healthcare, this is a true failure to our veterans.
As a member of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, fighting for our veterans who have fought for us and ensuring that our veterans have access to healthcare is one of my top priorities in Congress. Ensuring our veterans receive their benefits in a timely fashion is the least we can do to say “thank you” to those brave men and women who put their lives on the line to protect our freedoms and liberties. The first step that must be taken at the VA is sweeping reforms throughout the entire process to reduce the backlog of claims and appeals.
The entire process should be streamlined into a more efficient system, which would allow veterans to avoid months, and possibly years, of waiting for a response from the VA. Furthermore, increased transparency and oversight during the process would be a welcomed change for our veterans. Veterans are often told their claims are being denied with little or no justification, and are given a very limited time to respond or appeal a decision. While the VA has been working to simplify the process, if the entire process was a more open system, veterans would be able to see more clearly what information they needed to provide to the VA. Additionally, the VA would be able to determine much easier where veterans were struggling throughout the process and be able to implement targeted adjustments in much shorter order.
It’s also important that while the VA reduces the backlog of claims that we aren’t just increasing the backlog of appeals. These critical reforms would end the constant “hamster wheel” cycle that veterans are subjected to throughout the entire claims and appeals process, and our veterans would receive the benefits that they so desperately need.
Moreover, one of my highest concerns at the VA is the lack of accountability within the administration. Time and time again, we see that our veterans are not getting the standard of care they earned and deserve at our VA facilities. Also, some locations operate much better than others. Over the past few years, our nation has been astounded by the scandals within the VA. We have veterans suffering and dying on secret waitlists; tens of thousands of disability claims waiting to be processed; and veterans struggling with the mental wounds of war who are not getting the help they so desperately need. Sadly, these are only some of the known failures of our VA.
On another front, while I believe that 99 percent of VA employees genuinely care about the work they do and truly want to help our veterans, we must do everything we can to make sure that the other 1 percent of employees who are not acting in the best interest of veterans are held accountable. That is why I have been fighting in Congress since day one to ensure we hold the VA responsible. In Congress, I was proud to cosponsor the VA Accountability Act of 2015 (H.R. 1994), which makes important reforms to the VA system by providing the necessary resources and flexibility within the VA to hold poor performing employees accountable.
Reforming our VA system, and holding accountable the 1 percent of VA employees who do not meet the standard of service our veterans have earned is one of the most important ways we can honor the service of our veterans, and improve their quality of life and care. We owe it to our brave soldiers who deserve the highest quality of care at our VA facilities across the country.
On Thanksgiving, we are reminded of how much we all have to be grateful for, and none of it would be possible without our nation’s heroes. When conflict has arisen around the world, our nation has always been blessed with brave men and women who have answered the call to service; willingly and selflessly putting their lives on the line while defending our great country. Now, we must answer their call. As a representative of one of the highest veterans populations of any county in the country, I will always fight for our veterans who have fought for us. We owe it to our heroes to take action.
Congressman Lee Zeldin, an Army veteran who continues to serve today as a Major in the Army Reserves, is a Freshman Republican who represents the First Congressional District of New York. In Congress, Lee Zeldin serves as a member of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs, and Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity. Thinking of submitting an op-ed to the Washington Examiner? Be sure to read our guidelines on submissions.
