Ensuring the Department of Veterans Affairs does not get overwhelmed by the influx of new patients and claims coming from the sweeping toxic exposure law passed last year will be a priority of the new House Veterans Affairs Committee chairman, the lawmaker told Military.com in an interview.
Rep. Mike Bost, R-Ill., said he sees no signs yet that the VA is being overwhelmed, noting that the law, known as the PACT Act, also gave the department the funding and flexibility to hire more claims processors and medical staff. But he added that it will be important for Congress to stay on top of the issue as the implementation progresses.
“That’s 3.5 million-plus new people receiving services. That’s a lot of people on a system that’s already a big system,” Bost said in the Monday phone interview. “We got to make sure that we’re ready to roll and no one loses out on what they’re already receiving.”
Read Next: Army Unveils New Parental Leave Policy After Long Debate on Denials
The PACT Act, which was signed into law in August, expanded VA health care and benefits for millions of veterans who were exposed to toxic substances during their military service, including Iraq and Afghanistan veterans who breathed in fumes from burn pits.
The department began accepting benefits claims shortly after the law was enacted and processing them at the start of January. As of Tuesday, the VA had received 278,000 PACT Act claims and processed 39,250, approving nearly 85% of them, VA Secretary Denis McDonough told reporters at his monthly news conference.
The claims backlog, defined as claims older than 125 days, has grown by roughly 50,000 since September to 200,140, but the department has hired about 2,000 new claims processors and is using an automated system to process some.
Bost and most other House Republicans opposed an initial version of the PACT Act that was drafted by House Democrats over what they said were concerns about existing VA patients being hurt if the system is overwhelmed. But Bost supported the version that became law, which was negotiated by Senate Democrats and Republicans and included the extra hiring authorities meant to assuage concerns about the VA not being able to handle the new workload.
Bost also said he plans to focus on “bringing the VA — maybe kicking and screaming — into the 21st century,” including updating technology and infrastructure.
On technology, Bost plans to target the VA’s troubled new electronic health records system, which has received bipartisan scorn for glitches that have risked patient safety.
He and other House Republicans are introducing two bills related to the program. The department has paused rolling out the system to more locations until at least June while it reviews problems. One bill would require the department to certify that the system has been improved before moving forward with it. The other would end the program altogether.
“The goal is wonderful,” Bost said. “The system they’re trying to use is terrible. And there’s no reason why we should have to make our employees and most of all our veterans suffer with a system that they can’t get right.”
McDonough on Tuesday provided no update on the review process, but stressed the importance of the VA having modern digital medical records that are compatible with the Defense Department. He also said he hears “broad support” in Congress for the idea of the program but understands there is “frustration that it has not been rolled out more quickly and efficaciously.”
Bost is taking over as chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee after two years as the panel’s top Republican while his party was in the minority in the lower chamber. With Republicans holding a narrow majority in the House, this congressional session is expected to be marked by partisan gridlock. The Veterans Affairs Committee has typically been able to stay out of the partisan fray and advance bipartisan…
Read More: Making Sure Vets Get PACT Act Benefits Is New House Veterans Affairs Chairman’s