Congresswoman Dina Titus of Nevada’s First District joined Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, House Veteran Affairs Committee members, and veteran groups today to announce the completion of a legislative package designed to help the VA meet its goal of eliminating the claims backlog by 2015. Titus, the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs, highlighted her Pay As You Rate Act which will require the VA to pay veterans as individual medical conditions are adjudicated, rather than waiting for the entire package to be processed. The Pay As You Rate Act was introduced today and currently has 22 co-sponsors. 

“For veterans in Nevada, the average time to process and complete a claim is 513 days. This is simply unacceptable. Our veterans should not have to wait to receive the assistance they have earned. I’m proud to join my colleagues today to announce a series of commonsense measures designed to reduce the backlog and ensure that veterans are compensated in a timely fashion," said Congresswoman Titus during today’s press conference.

The Veterans Administration currently has more than one million backlog cases, and 70% of these have been under review for more than 125 days. Currently, the VA withholds benefit payments to veterans until their entire claim has been reviewed and processed. The Pay As You Rate Act will require the VA to pay veterans benefits as each element of the claim is reviewed, allowing veterans to receive at least some of their benefits in a timely manner.