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New VA Benefits Claim Form: Just Six Pages
Say good-bye to the 26-page-long benefits claims form from hell.After years of complaints from veterans about having to fill out a 26-page-long benefits claims form for the Veterans Affairs Department, the Office of Management and Budget has approved VA’s new six-page form.
As the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have progressed, the 26-page application became particularly troublesome for veterans dealing with traumatic brain injuries or post-traumatic stress disorder, both of which can cause short-term memory loss and other cognitive issues.
“It’s a good thing and we’re pleased,” said Paul Sullivan, executive director of Veterans for Common Sense. “In our view, the current form is burdensome. It’s too long.”
VA spokesman Steve Westerfeld confirmed in a voicemail that VA had shortened VA Form 21-526, as well as creating a new “express claim” form, or 21-526EZ, which is six pages long and requires that the veteran provide his own medical and military records, rather than waiting for VA to gather them.
The EZ form comes as a result of a pilot program mandated by the Veterans’ Benefit Improvement Act of 2008. That pilot program will now be expanded to include everyone, according to VA’s May Compensation & Pension Service Bulletin.
Sullivan, along with other veterans’ service groups and several members of congress, have pushed for the shorter form.
Tom Staudter, spokesman for Rep. John Hall, D-N.Y., said Hall had talked with several veterans who said they couldn’t fill out the lengthy form, and therefore never received any disability compensation. Hall is chairman of the House Veterans’ Affairs subcommittee on disability affairs and memorial assistance.
When Hall met with veterans again last week and told them about the new six-page form, “they were absolutely pleased to hear it’s on the horizon,” Staudter said.
Sullivan said that, by reducing the form from 26 pages to 6 pages, VA could kill about 20 million pages of paperwork, per the 1 million claims expected this year.
“Filing a 26-page disability claim is undoubtedly a daunting process for veterans, particularly those who have traumatic brain injury or post-traumatic stress disorder,” said Amy Fairweather, policy director for Swords to Plowshares, an organization that provides counseling, case management, and job training to veterans in San Francisco, and which has argued for a shorter form. “The change to a simpler six-page application will certainly break down barriers not only for veterans, but also for advocates and VA staff.”
Several other veterans service groups, such as Disabled American Veterans and the American Legion, have also argued for the shorter forms during congressional hearings.
Sullivan said the 26-page form creates a barrier for the veterans that, in turn, creates an adversarial atmosphere. For example, the old form asks a veteran to detail his or her military service, which seems like finding a lot of details that are already readily available to VA.
“The guys say, ‘Doesn’t the government know when I served?’” Sullivan said.
VA officials had not yet returned a call for details about the new form, such as when it will be implemented.
Short URL: http://www.veteranstoday.com/?p=35556
Posted by Yanira Farray on Jun 10 2010, With 0 Reads, Filed under Vet News, Veterans Affairs. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
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don/t let sen.webb see it.
Meh, funny thing is, I am going to Senator Webbs office tomorrow to help a disabled veteran file an expedited processing request due to financial hardship. Anyhow, this form reduction is a step in the right direction. Lets hope the VA keeps it up. Shinseki aint perfect, but he could be much worse.
[...] New VA Benefits Claim Form: Just Six Pages : Veterans Today [...]
Peter says: Yep he sure does. Over and over about the same words. I don’t think there is a soul on this comment section that has not seen it over and over. Peter: Sorry to see the mess you are in, but get over it and comment as the rest do he, not the same old rhetoric. IMO it just gets boring to read the same thing all the time. This is the way I feel and others that have told me the same. Take care trooper and the best to you in your rants to beat up on the VA. MY THOUGHTS, seeview
About time.
My husband died Feb. 13, 2004.
We tried to fill out those papers but his records were burned in Texas as were many other vets. We got no help from the VA but he did get great care at Mt. Home VA hospital in Johnson City, Tennessee. He was at the Atomic bomb testing grounds and did the clean up after testing and had lung damage. He never got any monthly money as hard as we tried for four (4) years. He died and that was the end of trying – I knew I would never get any help if they would not help when he was alive.
I have to say that the care at the VA hospital was wonderful and they were very good to our family too. We could never have been able to pay for that care if we had to go to a regular hospital.
I am so glad that the forms are much shorter and other vets will be able to get their benefits. My best wishes to all these vets and their families.
I just found out that contained in the Senate Financial Reform bill is an amendment that could drive up the interest rates for VA guaranteed home loans, leaving Veterans out in the cold.
We have to stop this now. It appears that Sen. Merkley has endorsed an amendment that could deny some the ability to refinance their homes or raise interest rates.
Haven’t our veterans suffered enough?
You can help stop it!
Visit http://www.saveVAloans.com to find your Senator’s phone number and tell them to exempt the VA home loan benefit from the Merkley home loan amendment!
FIght for the cause on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Help-Our-Veterans-Keep-Their-Homes/134145646596023?ref=ts
I think this great. However, in my day getting copies of my medical and military records were next to impossible. The military didn’t even want troops to carry their records on PCS changes. I’m retired Army and have never seen my complete records. The reason… a fire in St. Louis. Keep a copy of everything guys.
I was one of the lucky ones and all my records are in tact. I have even seen most of them. Several years ago I went to the VA and had them let me see them. Was given a room to look them over and had copies made of about 100 of them. They went way back to when I was in the Army hospital in Waltham, Ma. 1951. I even have the amounts of penicillin given to me. Millions of units. Have copies of the complete stay there, about seven months worth of day to day.—- seeview
They could shorten the VA claim form to one page and it won’t do a bloddy thing to improve the system. Namely, because after they get the form they’ll just screw it up anyway just as usual. This is because the VA’s only purpose is to cheat veterans out of their rightfull benefits. I have a C-file that is 2 1/2 feet thick 8 volums. Every claim I had to have redone or had to fight on appeal sometimes it took 27 or 30 years to get them to correct their mistakes and quit using the records of 5 other veterans to decide my claims. I’m working on a claim at the Board of Appeals that consist of two remands 77,83 and a case filed on july 5, 1969 that has yet to be processed. Ever wonder why they are a million cases backlogged and soon to be 2 million cases??? The only way to straighten this out is for the VA to do the job they are suppose to, namely help veterans , not screw them.
I totally agree Peter. Censorship IS Nationwide as well as Selling Our Children 4 Cash! CPS and Federal IV funds. Deceased Husband fought as U-for what? U.S.A. has gone to Hell! One Nation Under Fraud! Repetition IS necessary to try to awaken Ostriche citizens.