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Vernon County veterans office reports surge in claims work, flags VA backlog
Summary
County veteran services staff reported increased contacts, new claims and multiple appeals while a field representative for Congressman Derek Van Orden offered constituent services and said the congressman will remain on veterans committees.
Crystal, the county veteran services staff, told the Vernon County Human Services meeting that the office handled thousands more contacts and new claims in the past year and is managing delays at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs evidence-intake process.
The office recorded 9,437 total contacts in the last year across calls, walk-ins, email, fax and text, Crystal said, up from 7,605 the previous year. ‘‘A big one would be a lot of our new claims. Total for the year on new claims, 291 claims,’’ Crystal said. She added the office opened or assumed representation 228 times and filed 132 supplemental appeals, 43 higher-level reviews and three board appeals.
The report explained why some claims are slow to resolve: Crystal said the VA’s evidence intake center added about 40 additional days of backlog because of holidays and other closures, and staff have been instructed not to refile evidence prematurely. ‘‘If it shows up that you sent it in, but it doesn't show that it's in their file, you can't talk to us about that until you've hit 41,’’ she said, describing how the county is tracking submissions to avoid duplicating paperwork.
Molly Vaughn, a field representative for U.S. Rep. Derek Van Orden, introduced herself to the meeting and said the congressman will continue service on the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee and the House Armed Services Committee. Vaughn said the congressman’s office closed more than 1,600 cases and returned more than $3,000,000 to constituents in the prior Congress and encouraged residents to contact the office for help with federal agencies.
Crystal said the office is using recent favorable rulings tied to Fort McClellan toxic-exposure claims to support other veterans with similar conditions and is preparing for an increase in Gulf War–related claims after the VA added new presumptive conditions. She said the office prefers supplemental and higher-level reviews over board appeals because the board can take about three years.
The veteran services report also noted routine work including burial markers and outreach; Crystal said December showed an uptick in mortality-related contacts. The meeting did not record any formal action or vote on the report.
The county will continue tracking claim submissions and working with the regional VA office to flag cases where evidence has been submitted but not yet entered into a veteran’s file.
