Politics & Government

House to Vote on Veterans Benefits Bill

Legislation to speed up benefits process for vets passes House committees.

A bill proposed by U.S. Rep. Grace Meng, D-Flushing, that would eliminate the backlog of disability benefits for Queens veterans has passed House committees and will go before the full legislative body this fall.

The legislation would speed up the disability claims process for veterans in Queens, whom Meng said have some of the longest wait times in the nation.

“Our veterans put their lives on the line to serve and protect our nation and it is essential that we do all we can for them,” the congresswoman said. “Veterans deserve the benefits to which they’re entitled.”

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Currently, veterans in Queens and other parts of New York City have to wait an average 500 days for their benefits.

The bill would require annual reports on VA regional offices that fail to meet the VA’s target for processing claims within 125 days with 98 percent accuracy.

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The reports would be required to explain why the office did not meet the goal, list the resources it needs to meet it and discuss how the failure to meet the goal affected the performance evaluation of the office director.

Veterans disability benefits include everything from major combat injuries to post traumatic stress disorder. The New York’s VA regional office in downtown Manhattan serves approximately 608,000 veterans throughout the five boroughs and Long Island.


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