The Department of Veterans Affairs backlog on crucial “Compensation and Pensions” exams has nearly tripled over the past year. The C&P exam is a medical examination that determines a veteran’s level of service-connected disability. The VA gathers evidence on a veteran’s claimed condition before issuing a decision and assigning a rating.
House Armed Services Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Subcommittee Chairperson Rep. Elaine Luria (D-Va., 2nd District) organized Monday’s virtual gathering. She said she intends to speak directly to new V.A. Secretary Denis McDonough about the problem.
“I’m really looking forward to having the new Secretary of Veterans Affairs come before the committee and get some bottom-line answers, like, what do you need? What do you need from Congress to get the right workforce, the right number of people, and be able to cut into this?” she said.
There is much taxpayer money at stake. This year, the VA will spend $133.8 billion on C&P benefits, a more than 7 percent increase over 2020.
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