July 17, 2013

Congresswoman Dina Titus of Nevada’s First District announced that the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs, voted to approve her bill, the Pay as You Rate Act (H.R. 2086), during a subcommittee markup today. The bill seeks to expedite the benefit claims process for veterans by requiring the Veterans Administration to pay benefits to veterans as individual components of their claims are reviewed, rather than at the completion of the entire claim.

The VA currently only pays veterans when their entire claim has been reviewed and processed. The average benefits claim for our Iraq and Afghanistan veterans contains 8.5 separate components, also known as conditions. Each medical condition is individually adjudicated, but the veteran only begins receiving benefits when the entire claim has been processed. The Pay as You Rate Act will require the VA to pay veterans the benefits they deserve as each element of their claim is reviewed, rather than when the entire package has been processed.

"Those who bravely serve our country deserve to receive the benefits they’ve earned in a timely manner,” said Titus, Ranking Member of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs. "The Pay As You Rate Act is a common sense approach that will reduce the backlog and provide veterans and their families much needed financial support. I'm proud to serve the veterans living in District One and will continue to work to ensure they have the best care possible."