Klein Meets with VA Secretary Gen. Eric Shinseki

Press Release

Klein Meets with VA Secretary Gen. Eric Shinseki

This morning, Congressman Ron Klein (FL-22) met with Veterans' Affairs Secretary General Eric Shinseki in Washington. Klein communicated specific requests from his Broward and Palm Beach County Veterans' Advisory Groups to the Secretary, and Secretary Shinseki committed to continuing to work hard together to make progress on these ideas.

A major issue South Florida veterans have raised with Congressman Klein is the backlog of claims at the Veterans Benefits Administration and other VA agencies. Klein raised the issue with Shinseki, who agreed that the current situation is unacceptable. There are currently more than 400,000 benefit claims from veterans in process.

In response to Klein's questions, Secretary Shinseki confirmed that receipts of claims are up 14 percent, due to an aging veterans' population and two million new veterans of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. He also said that the VA will be hiring 1,100 new processors to more swiftly handle claims and proposed new ideas, such as utilizing technology and electronic systems, in order to reduce the backlog. The VA plans on spending $3.3 billion in technology enhancements for this purpose in the upcoming fiscal year.

"It was an honor to meet with General Shinseki today, and I commend him for his service to this country and his commitment to fighting for our service members as VA Secretary," Klein said. "I took the issues raised by South Florida veterans directly to the Secretary, and I am pleased to report that he understands the severity of the current situation with backlogged claims and is taking proactive steps to ensure a quicker response time. The men and women who have served this country deserve the highest-quality mental health and physical health services, and it is unacceptable that they continue to be buried in bureaucratic red tape."

In addition to the claims backlog, Klein and Shinseki discussed several other topics of concern to the veteran's community in South Florida, including the opening of registration for the 21st Century GI bill, providing a seamless transition from Department of Defense service to the Veterans Administration and providing veterans with all the services they have earned, including mental health counseling, financial counseling and substance abuse counseling.
During today's discussion, Klein and his Congressional colleagues also offered Secretary Shinseki feedback about the condition of care at VA hospitals and how veterans would like to be able to reach their local VA without going through a centralized call center.

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