{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://web.archive.org/web/20140301055521/http://www.brown.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/at-hearing-on-veterans-claims-backlog-brown-urges-passage-of-legislation-to-expedite-claims-process-prevent-backlog-from-forming", "At Hearing on Veterans Claims Backlog, Brown Urges Passage of Legislation to Expedite Claims Process, Prevent Backlog from Forming", "2013-12-11", "2013", "2013-12", "Democrat", "House", "OH", "Sherrod Brown", "B000944", "web.archive.org", null, null, "legacy", "Recent Report Found Cleveland VA Regional Office Has Second Longest Wait Time in Eastern Area for Claims Processing.  As of December 2013 More Than 693, 000 Claims Are Still Pending National with an Average Wait of 167.4 Day\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWednesday, December 11, 2013\n            \n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWASHINGTON, DC \u2013Following a report by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) listing the Cleveland VA Regional Office (VARO) as having the second longest wait time in the eastern area of the VA for benefit claims to be processed, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) a senior member of the Senate Committee on Veterans\u2019 Affairs, today pressed Allison Hickey, VA Under Secretary for Benefits, about the persistent claims delays at the Cleveland Regional Office. Secretary Shinseki\u2019s stated goal by 2015 is to reduce the time claims are pending to 125 days with a corresponding 98 percent accuracy for ratings. Currently, veterans whose claims are processed through Cleveland wait on average 208 days, while the national average is 167.4 days\n\u201cIt is unacceptable that Ohio veterans who honorably served our country are waiting too long to receive the compensation they deserve,\u201d Brown said. \u201cWhile the VA has made progress at reducing the overall claims backlog, more must be done to ensure that this problem is fixed appropriately.\u201d\nAt a hearing today of the Senate Committee on Veterans\u2019 Affairs, Brown questioned VA officials over why missing evidence notifications are not included in Veteran\u2019s status update. This delay in providing key information could extend the overall length of time a veteran\u2019s claim is in determination. Brown also pressed the Under Secretary about increasing discrepancies between online and paper claims status updates that veterans receive.\nKey provisions of Brown\u2019s Veterans Services Outreach\u00a0(VSO) Act were recently passed by the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs. \u00a0Brown\u2019s bill would help reduce the disability claims backlog by requiring the VA to notify veterans filing claims electronically that they can receive help and important time-saving information from local VA approved resources. In August, Brown traveled the state hearing from veterans and veteran service organizations to build support for the legislation.\nBrown is the only Ohio Senator to serve a full term on the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee and is Co-Chair of the Senate Air Force Caucus. He is also an original cosponsor of the VOW to Hire Heroes Law, which offers job retraining assistance to veterans between 35 and 60 years of age.\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://web.archive.org/web/20140301055521/http://www.brown.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/at-hearing-on-veterans-claims-backlog-brown-urges-passage-of-legislation-to-expedite-claims-process-prevent-backlog-from-forming"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.592968124896288, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}