VA claims backlog isn't dropping fast enough for Pete Hegseth
The number of backlogged Veteran Affairs disability claims is dropping, but Pete Hegseth would like to see it dropping faster.
At its height last year, there were 883,000 claims that had been in the system for more than 125 days. Now there are about 515,000 backlogged claims. During an appearance at the Disabled American Veterans National Convention earlier this month, President Obama attributed the drop to an increase in the number of claims processors, dedicating more existing staff to backlogged claims and giving older claims higher priority.
Pete Hegseth and his organization Concerned Veterans for America intend to keep pressure on the Obama administration to lower the number of backlogged claims. CVA delivered a petition to the White House this week that read, "President Obama and VA Secretary Shinseki both vowed to fix the VA disability claims backlog. Instead, despite some minor recent improvements, it has increased nearly 2,000 percent under this administration. It is time for the White House and the VA to stop making excuses, hold people accountable, and start delivering immediate results."
Hegseth, who sought the Republican endorsement to challenge Sen. Amy Klobuchar in 2012, joins The Daily Circuit to discuss the backlog of VA claims. He does not plan to run for office in 2014.
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