Wednesday, November 6, 2013

N. Texas Not Prepared To Help Influx Of Military Vets

Experts: N. Texas Not Prepared To Help Influx Of Military Vets
CBS News
November 5, 2013
In the VA’s regional office in Waco, which includes coverage for all of North Texas, there are 26,353 veterans waiting to hear about their disability compensation claims. Records show, the average wait in the Waco region is more than 354 days, just shy of one year.

NORTH TEXAS (CBS 11 NEWS) – Shortly after U.S. Army Scout Steve Blackman retired from the military three years ago, he says he slipped into depression. “I was falling into a very dark place. I didn’t know if I was going to make it out.”

After seven years in the military, including a one-year tour through Iraq, Blackman has post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD.)

After suffering 33 concussions, he is now in a wheelchair for serious back injuries. Blackman says it took the Veterans Administration (VA) more than two years to pay him full disability benefits.

He’s not alone. The VA’s own records show as of November 2, there were some 705,113 veterans, nationwide, caught up in a huge backlog, waiting for the agency to either approve or reject their disability compensation claims.

Government statistics show nationally, it takes on average more than 310 days for the VA to make a disability decision.

In the VA’s regional office in Waco, which includes coverage for all of North Texas, there are 26,353 veterans waiting to hear about their disability compensation claims. Records show, the average wait in the Waco region is more than 354 days, just shy of one year.
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