Americans salute their veterans every November 11, but 79,004 disability and pension claims were still backlogged at the VA on October 31.
uncertain
claims → salute → October
Gratitude demands better, writes Irene Watkins.
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Watkins → demand → better
My father served as a colonel in the Army and later as chief counsel for the California Department of Veterans Affairs.
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father → serve → Affairs
Yet his own post-traumatic stress disorder went undiagnosed for years.
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disorder → go → years
His VA benefits became a vital source of help for him, my mother, and my two siblings with disabilities.
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benefits → become → disabilities
I’ve seen firsthand what those benefits mean to a family — and what years of uncertainty can cost.
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years → see → uncertainty
Veterans should not have to depend on extraordinary persistence to receive ordinary benefits.
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Veterans → have → benefits
Two of my brothers are serving in the military.
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Two → serve → military
I have also spent my career in foreign affairs, where service members play an essential role in American policy.
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members → spend → policy
Every November 11, Americans honor the roughly 17 million veterans who have served in uniform.
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who → honor → uniform
It should also make us ask a question: Are we giving veterans the help they have earned?
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they → make → help
The VA has made real progress against its disability claims backlog.
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VA → make → backlog
The number of overdue claims fell below 70,000 in July.
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number → fall → July
But the backlog subsequently climbed again: By October 31, 79,004 claims for disability compensation and pension benefits had been pending more than 125 days.
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claims → climb → days
It does not mean the paperwork has gone unreviewed.
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paperwork → mean → ?
It means the claim remains unresolved more than four months after filing.
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claim → mean → filing
For a veteran waiting on compensation, the distinction offers little comfort.
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distinction → wait → comfort
Many veterans turn to veterans’ service organizations for help.
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veterans → turn → help
Disabled American Veterans, the American Legion, and Paralyzed Veterans of America are among the organizations whose VA-accredited representatives help veterans gather evidence, file claims, and challenge adverse decisions.
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veterans → accredit → decisions
But even the most dedicated advocate must work within a system the advocate does not control.
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advocate → work → system
Veterans should not have to depend on extraordinary persistence to receive ordinary benefits.
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Veterans → have → benefits
RELATED: The VFW’s political stunt backfired
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stunt → backfire → ?
A disability claim may require medical records, evidence connecting an injury or illness to military service, and an appeal if the VA denies benefits.
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VA → require → benefits
An accredited representative can help veterans through that process.
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representative → help → process
For someone already coping with illness or financial strain, having a qualified advocate can make an enormous difference.
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having → cop → difference
Change requires leadership from Congress and VA Secretary Doug Collins.
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Change → require → Congress
Congress should protect access to accredited outside advocates and streamline accreditation for qualified representatives.
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Congress → protect → representatives
The VA should reduce needless paperwork and work more closely with the organizations veterans already trust.
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veterans → reduce → organizations
Congress must also hold the VA accountable for results.
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VA → hold → results
The department already publishes claims-processing data.
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department → publish → data
Lawmakers should use it to set measurable goals, identify bottlenecks, and demand answers when claims linger.
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claims → use → answers
Members of Congress who have worn the uniform ought to lead that effort.
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who → wear → effort
RELATED: The VFW should be fighting for veterans, not gender ideology
HUM Images/Universal Images Group/Getty Images
The test should be more than a favorable headline about a shrinking backlog.
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test → fight → backlog
Congress should examine how long veterans wait, whether claims are decided correctly, and whether delays are growing again.
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delays → examine → ?
A falling national total offers little consolation to someone whose own claim remains stuck.
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claim → fall → someone
None of this diminishes the importance of Veterans Day ceremonies, parades, or expressions of thanks.
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None → diminish → thanks
I welcome them.
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I → welcome → them
But honoring service means more than applauding it.
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honoring → honor → it
Veterans deserve timely decisions on the benefits they earned, and families should not be left wondering when help will come.
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help → deserve → benefits
My father's experience taught me what can happen when a service-related condition goes unrecognized for years.
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condition → teach → years
…and 3 more, not listed.
The Aporia
