Congressman Gibbs Sheds Light on Veterans' Claims Backlog

Press Release

Today, Congressman Bob Gibbs called attention to three Ohio veterans, all of whom have been waiting for an inexcusable amount of time for a decision on their disability claims from the Department of Veterans Affairs. Jeff Swisher, Kevin Erskine and Jack Dearth are veterans from Congressman Gibbs district and have been waiting a combined total of 1,985 days to hear the decision on their claims. Across the country the average wait time is 291 days, while Ohio's average wait time is over one year at 368 days.

"These men and women sacrificed so much for our country and deserve to be taken care of in a timely manner," said Gibbs. "Their dedication and service to our country is insurmountable in comparison to any way we could hope to repay them. These immensely long wait times are inexcusable. I hope that by highlighting these veterans' experiences, it will demonstrate to Secretary Eric Shinseki that we need a plan to address this backlog."

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