Hall Announces Hearing on Veterans’ Health Care

Points to Successful Casework by District Staff as “First Step Toward
Fair Treatment for All Our Veterans”

(Goshen) – Congressman John Hall, chair of the Subcommittee on
Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs, announced today that he will be
holding a House Veterans’ Affairs subcommittee hearing on Tuesday
morning on the health care needs of veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan
wars and their impact on the Veterans’ Administration (VA) disability
claims process.  The hearing will also examine reports of claims rating
discrepancies among Active Duty and Reserve veterans. The subcommittee
hearing will take place in Washington, D.C. in the hearing room of the
House Veterans’ Affairs Committee.
“In light of the difficulties facing veterans under care at
Walter Reed Army Medical Center, preparing for the return of our service
members from Iraq and Afghanistan has to be a top priority for all of us
in Congress,” said Hall. “The backlog of veterans’ disability
claims continues to grow at an alarming rate, and this is a situation that
shouldn’t be tolerated. When our soldiers and military personnel
return home and need help, they should get the assistance they have earned
without delay. No excuses.”
Hall’s focus on the health care of returning soldiers and the
backlog of veterans’ benefits claims, which has grown to over 630,000
claims as of March 2007, follows a meeting the Congressman had in
January with leaders of veterans’ organizations in the 19th Congressional
District, who told him of the serious problems facing veterans needing
care and benefits.
His office has also been approached by individual veterans who
need assistance with the VA.  At the Goshen press conference, Hall
introduced Ted H. Wolf, a Vietnam veteran whose disability benefits were
reduced 60% in 2003 despite qualifying for full benefits. He approached
Hall’s office with his problem in January, and on February 23 Lisa
DeMartino, a caseworker in Hall’s Goshen office, successfully resolved
Wolf’s problems with the VA and notified him that he’d be receiving a
retroactive benefit award and a new monthly check.  In early March he
received a large check for retroactive payments owed, and his monthly
pension benefit increased almost five-fold.
“I am extremely grateful for all the attention and hard work
that Congressman Hall’s staff afforded me,” said Wolf. “They kept me
apprised of how everything was progressing and saw my claim through to
the end.”
Added Hall: “As serious as the claims backlog for veterans is in
the 19th District—and Ted’s is just one example—the returning
veterans will face even greater delays unless we push the Bush
administration and mobilize Congress to right this wholly unfortunate wrong as
soon as possible.”