Committee Passes Yoho-Murphy Bill to Improve VA Claims Process

Statement

U.S. Representative Patrick E. Murphy (FL-18) applauded the unanimous approval of the Working to Integrate Networks Guaranteeing Member Access Now (WINGMAN) Act by the House Veterans Affairs Committee yesterday. Murphy joined U.S. Rep. Ted Yoho (FL-03) in introducing this bill to provide read-only access to Congressional offices working to help veterans receive the benefits they have earned, which followed previous bipartisan efforts led by the two lawmakers to tackle the backlog by requesting the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) change the current policy surrounding access to electronic claims files.

"As members of Congress, we have a responsibility to provide our veterans with the best care and service. The brave men and women who served our country should not face unnecessary bureaucratic delays in receiving the benefits they have earned," said Murphy. "It has been great to see such strong bipartisan support for our efforts to make this common-sense change. Having cleared this key hurdle in committee, I look forward to seeing continued support for this bipartisan bill in the full House and Senate."

"Our Veterans have put their lives on the line for our nation and they deserve the very best. Today we are one step closer in improving their benefits claims process. It is unacceptable that the brave men and women, who stepped up to serve and protect our freedoms, should wait extended periods of time to receive the care and benefits they so rightly deserve," Yoho said. "WINGMAN will increase transparency within the claims process and get answers to our Veterans in a timely manner."

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