Gallego Pushes the Department of Veterans Affairs to Speed Up PACT Act Processing
In a letter, Rep. Gallego underscores the need to properly implement the PACT ACT ‘so toxic-exposed veterans can finally access the benefits they deserve.’
WASHINGTON, DC — Rep. Ruben Gallego (AZ-03) today sent a letter to Department of Veterans Affairs Sec. Dennis McDonough regarding recent reports that the Department is struggling to hire and retain veteran claims processors, negatively impacting the implementation of the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxins (PACT) Act of 2022.
“With nearly 500,000 veterans calling Arizona home, I was proud to fight for them to get the PACT Act signed into law,” said Rep. Gallego. “But it’s clear that the VA needs to do better to get veterans the services and benefits they’re entitled to. Reports indicate that it’s taking Arizona veterans months even to have their claim processed, which is unacceptable. We must keep our promise to take care of the women and men who signed up for military service.”
Click here to read the letter.
These delays impact thousands of Arizona veterans. As of August 2023, Arizona veterans have filed 20,255 claims. 9,854 of those claims have not been completed.
As Gallego states in the letter, Arizona’s completion rate for PACT Act-related claims is only 51.4% and takes an average of 153.1 days to complete—below the national average of 59.1%.
Recent reporting from NBC News seeks to find an explanation for the delay in processing. According to their reporting, 600 claim processors resigned or retired in 2022, a 42% jump in 2020.
Gallego continues: “The overwhelming backlog of cases, along with concerns about mandatory overtime, inadequate training, and unrealistic quota demands, have put enormous stress on claims processors, resulting in the significant departure of employees – at a time when we need more people supporting our toxic-exposed veterans, not less.”
That is why Gallego asks Sec. McDonough to answer the following questions:
- How specifically is the Department addressing the backlog in PACT Act-related claims and working to shorten the average timeline for completing claims processing?
- What resources and funding are necessary for the Department to hire the necessary number of claims processors, properly onboard them, and ensure employee longevity to clear the backlog and effectively reduce claim completion timelines? What is the Department’s goal for total number of claims processors, and why?
- What is the Department doing to improve its training program to provide all new hires with the proper training before processing claims, and how has the Department’s training program changed since the 2021 GAO report?
- What actions are the Department taking to increase retention and improve workforce morale?
The Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxins (PACT) Act of 2022 expands access to VA health care and benefits to over 3.5 million veterans exposed to toxic substances during their military service. The new law shifts the burden of proof off our veterans and creates service-connection presumptions for 23 respiratory illnesses and cancers.