SwiftVets.com

[Guest]

RUSH TO PASS VETERANS BILL ILL-ADVISED

Lawmakers would be well advised to remember those time-honored words of wisdom, “act in haste, repent at leisure,” as they rush to finalize a veterans benefits bill before the 109th Congress adjourns, said the Disabled American Veterans (DAV).

“Even though a piece of legislation may contain important provisions beneficial to our nation’s veterans and their families, the actual implications of other provisions are much more serious and potentially adverse than is generally understood,” said DAV National Commander Bradley S. Barton.

For example, the House of Representatives in an eleventh hour move will attempt to pass a Senate version of a veterans benefits package (S. 3421) which contains a provision that would permit attorneys to charge fees for assisting veterans with their benefits claims. The DAV believes the proposal is unnecessary and would increase costs to veterans and to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) without significantly improving the claims process.

Currently, veterans may hire an attorney for advice and counseling prior to filing a claim for benefits or after the VA administrative proceedings have been completed. But there is no prohibition against attorney’s providing pro bono services to veterans, noted Barton, who is an attorney himself.

“Allowing attorneys to charge veterans for claims representation is not an acceptable substitute for taking the necessary steps to fix the claims processing system so it serves veterans’ interests in an informal and non-adversarial manner,” said Commander Barton. “Also, because this large omnibus bill has been quickly rewritten at the last moment, there has been insufficient time for members of Congress to carefully review it to ensure it does not contain objectionable provisions or unintended adverse consequences.”

“The Department of Veterans Affairs itself has said that attorney fees would consume significant amounts of payments under programs meant to benefit veterans,” Commander Barton said. “The VA would have to create a substantial new bureaucracy to perform the additional accreditation and oversight responsibilities. Instead the VA should use its scarce resources to hire more claims adjudicators and provide them with the training needed to improve the quality as well as timeliness of decisions.”

“Congress should not be rushed into adopting such controversial provisions buried among otherwise beneficial ones. Lawmakers have a responsibility to fully explore the pros and cons of every piece of legislation and be on the alert for provisions that could actually be harmful to our nation’s veterans and the programs created to best serve them” Barton said.

The 1.3 million-member Disabled American Veterans, a non-profit organization founded in 1920 and chartered by the U.S. Congress in 1932, represents this nation’s disabled veterans. It is dedicated to a single purpose: building better lives for our nation’s disabled veterans and their families. For more information, visit the organization’s Web site www.dav.org.

[AMOS]

Back in 1969, the American Legion handled my claim quite well, I think. I didn't have to do nuthin except say "Okay". Been a member ever since.