In fiscal year 2015 the Veterans Administration paid an estimated 71 billion dollars in benefits. They completed 1.4 million claims, the highest in their history. They have reduced the backlog from 611,000 pending claims to a low of 71,300. Veterans waited an average of 282 days for a claim back in 2013. That is down today to 94 days.
Before WWII, college was for the most part an unreachable dream for the average American. Thanks to the original GI Bill, which ended in July 1956, 7.8 million of 16 million WWII Veterans had participated in an education or training program.
VA’s Home Loan Guaranty program started in 1944. More than 20 million loans later VA is the largest no-down-payment home program in the nation. They guaranteed 631,000 loans over the past 12 months and boast the lowest foreclosure rate in the industry for 25 of the last 28 quarters.
VA is the largest provider of health care training in the United States. Clinical training was provided to more than 120,000 interns, residents, fellows and students in more than 40 professions in fiscal year 2014.
For more than 90 years, VA’s Research and Development program has improved the lives of Veterans and all Americans through health care discovery and innovation. These innovations and discoveries include:
»1960 – The first Veteran receives an implantable cardiac pacemaker.
»1962 – The first long term kidney transplant is conducted.
»1973 – Rosalyn Yalow received the Nobel Prize in Physiology for radioimmunoassay, a way to measure insulin.
»1984 – VA researchers develop the nicotine patch.
»1996 – Discover that an implantable insulin pump better controls blood sugar and weight for type 2 diabetes.
»2009 – VA researchers find that deep brain stimulation holds significant benefits for those with Parkinson’s disease.
»2011 – Developed an artificial lung prototype.
This is my sixth year working as the Veterans Advocate for Naperville Township. From my experience in that time, I can honestly say the VA has made great strides.
Don’t get me wrong. There are still major delays in appeals and hospital issues. Mistakes continue to be made. But when all is said and done, the VA has improved its services to our nation’s Veterans.
