Watch CBS News

Sen. Kirk Wants To Digitize Veterans' Disability Claims To Speed Up Process

MAYWOOD, Ill. (CBS) -- Senator Mark Kirk says there's a reason, but no excuse, for a year plus delay in processing veterans' disability claims, reports WBBM's John Cody.

Kirk Wants To Digitize Veterans' Disability Claims To Speed Up Process

After a tour of Hines Veterans Hospital in Maywood, Kirk praised rehab efforts but said 483 days to wait for disability determination is just too long, which makes the Illinois VA the fourth most backlogged regional office.

"We've got about a million guys coming home from the various wars. The problem is, the entire process is in paper and the need that we have is to automate the process," said Kirk.

Senator Kirk says the VA shouldn't need more than a month to process a disability claim and thinks the system will speed up with a ten point action program backed by $2.5 billion to computerize the process.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.