"Delay, deny and hope that I die" Policy
Oct. 9, 2006 at 4:21 PM
by Blogmaster
Butch Kirkman, of Archdale, served eight years on active duty in the Air Force. He has spent half that long trying to get disability benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs.He isn't done.
On Sept. 21, the Board of Veterans Appeals in Washington turned down his claim. It did so even though a regional office in Winston-Salem admitted misplacing his records and even though the department is required by law to give a veteran the benefit of the doubt in close calls.
Veterans often complain that the department can seem capricious and arbitrary in denying claims for benefits.
But many also say that the delay in getting any answer is a huge problem. If the veteran dies before his claim is decided, his claim dies with him. Veterans sardonically call this the "Delay, deny and hope that I die" policy. Kirkman's case exemplifies some of the typical delays at the regional and national levels.
The News & Record last month contacted the department's Winston-Salem regional office for this report; that office referred inquiries to Washington. The department did not return calls or respond to written questions. >Read More
Click here to see the questions left unanswered.
