The Department of Veterans Affairs has received nearly 113,000 new disability compensation claims for benefits created by the landmark toxic exposure law signed in August, pushing the VA to aggressively search for new hires to handle the influx of veterans into the system.
VA Secretary Denis McDonough said Tuesday that claims applications this month were 19% higher than October 2021, with the VA receiving 1,000 more claims a day than it usually does, requiring the department to take steps to recruit additional health and benefits personnel and offer incentives to retain current employees.
“With the promise of so many more veterans coming to VA for care under these provisions, we need aggressively to hire the people who will deliver the benefits,” McDonough said during a press conference in Washington, D.C.
The department began accepting claims for illnesses deemed as linked to military service by the Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics, or PACT, Act in August after the legislation was signed by President Joe Biden.