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Health & Fitness

Maloney Launches Resource Page for Veterans Struggling with Claims

Newburgh – With over 12,000 New York and Hudson Valley veterans waiting on disability claims with the average wait time 471 days, Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney has launched an online page devoted to assisting the tens of thousands of veterans in the Hudson Valley. Rep. Maloney currently has a caseworker on staff to help veterans with their claims for educational, disability, retirement, medical, burial, spousal and dependents' benefits as well as the correction of military records and medals.

“After fighting for our freedom, veterans are now forced to fight with our government – we owe them better.  If a veteran is struggling to receive benefits or needs help navigating the bureaucracy, our veterans’ caseworker is at the ready,” said Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney.

Rep. Maloney also announced his support for the End the VA Claims Backlog Now Act which would give provisional benefits to veterans filing for disability if a claim hasn’t been processed within 125 day. This provision benefit provides financial support to veterans equal to an automatic 40 percent disability rating while the VA evaluates the medical evidence and his or her claim.

Last month, Rep. Maloney also introduced the Disabled Veterans Red Tape Reduction Act which allows veterans to have their medical examinations done by physicians outside the VA system to help process veterans’ disability claims faster. Rep. Maloney legislation has been highlighted in a legislative package that seeks to bolster VA’s current efforts to modernize and foster further innovation in order to get veterans’ claims and compensation settled faster.

Nationally, more than 900,000 veterans are seeking compensation and pension disability benefits with nearly 600,000 backlogged claims.  The average wait to receive disability compensation and other benefits is 273 days, and up to 327 days for veterans making claims for the first time.

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