releases: https://www.heller.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/videos?ContentRecord_id=aa69003d-5f4e-4fbf-90e3-78139d9d766f
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| https://www.heller.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/videos?ContentRecord_id=aa69003d-5f4e-4fbf-90e3-78139d9d766f | ICYMI: Heller Voices Frustration with the VA Backlog in Nevada | 2013-12-11 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | NV | Dean Heller | H001041 | www.heller.senate.gov | legacy | (Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Dean Heller (R-NV) spoke at the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs hearing entitled “VA Claims System: Review of VA's Transformational Progress.” Currently, 4,000 veterans in Reno, Las Vegas, and across Nevada have waited on average 433 days to have their VA claim completed. This is the longest wait time in the nation and is well over the VA’s targeted deadline of 125 days. Remarks as prepared: Thank you Chairman Sanders and Ranking Member Burr for holding this hearing on the claims process. It is no secret that the veterans claims backlog is the most critical mission facing the Veterans Benefits Administration. Every person is this room knows the seriousness of this problem, but I specifically want to underscore how this is affecting veterans in Nevada. 4,000 veterans in Reno, Las Vegas, and across Nevada have waited more than the VA’s target deadline of 125 days for their claim to be completed. On average, Nevada veterans waited 433 days to have their claims completed—this is the longest wait in the nation and it is simply unacceptable. Under Secretary Hickey, I know you are committed to fixing this issue and appreciate you recognizing the gravity of this problem, but it’s important to me and my constituents that I bring this story to your attention. A Las Vegas Veteran wrote to me recently: “I am just one more Disabled Veteran still fighting the appeals process with the VA. I understand now that no one is going to expedite my appeal and I will probably die before I get any successful resolution, but there are huge numbers of vets just like me and some in worse shape. None of us deserve to be put on hold forever.” Frustration—That is what this veteran and veterans across the nation are feeling. I, as well as my colleagues, want this to be fixed for the good of our veterans, there’s no doubt about that. I am proud to have teamed up with some of my colleagues to thoroughly examine the claims process front to back and from every perspective. The reality is—VA has a 1945 process. This outdated process no longer makes sense both for the VA and for the Veteran. Looking back at two decades of VA backlog, I found that VA has always fixed the problem with short-term solutions rather than asking the difficult question of whether the entire process needs to be updated. VA needs a 21st Century benefits delivery system for our nation’s Veterans. But there is not going to be one silver bullet that solves this problem. It is going to take multiple proposals that address multiple aspects of the claims process for us to really reach a resolution. But that means it’s time that all stakeholders open up about what needs to be fixed and how to fix it. The VA has a role to play. Veteran Service Organizations and Congress have a role to play. Even the Veterans themselves have a part to play in resolving this. And it no longer makes sense to point fingers and place blame. Instead, Congress needs to give the VA and Regional Offices the tools and resources they need to bring the backlog down. But this cannot be done without an open and frank discussion about what’s working and what’s not. Congress needs to work together with the VA and VSOs to solve this problem and solve it permanently so that this Committee isn’t back here in a few years having the same discussion. I know that the Chairman and Ranking Member are committed to that, and I will be reaching out to them about solutions that I’ve identified. Our nation owes it to Veterans to resolve this problem together and keep our promise to care for them when they return home from war. Thank you again, Under Secretary Hickey for being here to testify. I look forward to hearing about what progress VA has made and working with you, VSOs, and Veterans to end this backlog. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z |