Hanover Democratic Committee of Virginia

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Vets Commission Finishes its Work

Written by www.VetsCommission.org
The Veterans' Disability Benefits Commission released its report this month. Cited in the report are 114 recommendations which may require action by Congress, the Department of Defense, and the Department of Veterans' Affairs. The VDBC was commissioned by the National Defense Authorization Act of 2004 (Public Law 108- 136) with specific requirements about its charter and composition. The 13 commission members are appointed by the President and leaders of Congress, and the Commission is independent of government agencies, such as the Department of Veterans' Affairs and Department of Defense. The purpose of the Veterans' Disability Benefits Commission is to carry out a study of the benefits under the laws of the United States that are provided to compensate and assist veterans and their survivors for disabilities and deaths attributable to military service, and to produce a report on the study. Special attention was given to the care of the severely injured, treatment and compensation for PTSD, transition from military service to civilian life, the rating schedule used to assess disability, the methodologies applied to establishing presumptive service-connection for disabilities, individual unemployability, and the timeliness of claims processing. Of the 114 recommendations made by the commission, 14 were elevated as "priority recommendations". These 14 are: VA should immediately update the current Rating Schedule, beginning with PTSD and TBI, and proceeding through other body systems. VA should develop and implement new criteria specific to PTSD in the VA Schedule for Rating Disabilities. VA should establish a holistic approach that couples PTSD treatment, compensation, and vocational assessment. Congress should eliminate the ban on concurrent receipt for all military retirees and those separated due to service-connected disabilities. VA should implement a periodic and comprehensive evaluation of Individual Unemployability-eligible veterans, and gradually reduce compensation rather than abruptly terminating disability payments. VA should revise the Schedule for Rating Disabilities to lessen the need for Individual Unemployability ratings. Congress should increase the compensation rates up to 25% as an interim and baseline future benefit for loss of quality of life. Congress should consider increasing special monthly compensation to address the profound impact on quality of life by the disabilities subject to monthly compensation and review ancillary benefits for additional compensation. Congress should enact legislation to bring ancillary and special purpose benefits to levels originally intended considering cost of living and annual adjustments. VA and DOD should realign the disability evaluation process so that the services determine fitness for duty, and VA determines the disability rating. Congress should eliminate the SBP/DIC offset for surviving spouses. Congress should mandate and provide resources to reduce VA claims backlog by 50% within 2 years. VA and DOD should expedite development and implementation of compatible information systems including a detailed management plan for milestones and lead agency assignment. Congress should establish an executive oversight group to ensure timely and effective implementation of the commission recommendations.
Last Updated ( Sunday, 21 October 2007 )