Despite all the issues that keep them apart, President Obama, Mitt Romney and every other American politician agree that American veterans should get the lifetime benefits they deserve. But the Veterans Administration has been infamous for its "backlog" in processing claims, going back to before September 11. Despite 4000 new workers since 2008, less than 80 percent of the work has been done, frustrating veterans of Afghanistan, Iraq, Vietnam, Korea -- even World War II. Are still more workers needed? How about shifting from paper files to computers? We look at the problem and some proposed solutions.
This story was informed in part from sources in the Public Insight Network. You can find out more at www.kcrw.com/insight.
The Worst Backlog in Washington
Credits
Guests:
- James Dao - New York Times
- Maeve Reston - Los Angeles Times - @MaeveReston
- Patrick Bellon - Veterans for Common Sense - @Patrickbellon
- Allison Hickey - US Department of Veterans Affairs