The Department of Veterans Affairs is hiring new staff
within its Veteran Benefits Administration (VBA) to support the adjudication
and disbursement of benefits related to agent orange and other toxic chemical
exposure.
Since January, the agency has sought to expand benefits to
veterans who suffered damage to their health as a consequence of exposure to
napalm and other harmful chemical agents. In addition to the support provided
for Vietnam War veterans, these benefits will also extend to veterans who faced
similar exposures during the Gulf War.
VA has just begun processing these new claims as of
September, noted Secretary McDonough at a recent press conference in
Washington, DC.
“We’ve started processing claims for the new presumptive
conditions related to toxic exposure for Vietnam War and Gulf War vets,"
he said.
Ensuring these claims are evaluated and distributed in a
timely manner will require additional manpower within the Veterans Benefits
Administration, with the agency now undergoing a considerable hiring push to
fulfill this demand.
“VA has begun an aggressive effort to hire 2,000 more
employees to process these claims,” McDonough said.
No comments:
Post a Comment