Bob Filner: “again, this is one of a series of amendments that shows specifically where we are underfunding the VA budget for the…”

“again, this is one of a series of amendments that shows specifically where we are underfunding the VA budget for the fiscal year 2000. I think any of us who have talked to veterans during the recent recess period, town hall meetings and tours of VA facilities, have constantly heard the complaint that our veterans are prevented from knowing about the adjudication of their claims for month after month after month after month after month. Six, 8, 12 months go by, maybe even 1 or 2 years, and if a process has to be appealed, it can go even longer. The independent budget of the veterans organizations of this country proposed that an additional 250 positions dedicated to reduce the backlog and waiting time for the adjudication of these claims was absolutely necessary. Mr. Chairman, we have an emergency situation amongst our veterans. These are the folks who fought for us, who have given us our freedom, given us our liberty, and we make them wait 1 year, 2 years, even longer, to find out whether their claims for disability or other such legal situations will be in fact granted to them. I think this is an emergency situation which would allow us to put in the $6.25 million that we need for this situation.”