Annie Kuster: “I thank Mr. Michaud and our chair. As a member of the Veterans' Affairs Committee, I was proud that we worked together…”

“I thank Mr. Michaud and our chair. As a member of the Veterans' Affairs Committee, I was proud that we worked together to draft this bipartisan legislative package to help get veterans' claims settled faster and more efficiently. Today, I am happy to join my colleagues from both sides of the aisle in passing this package, which includes my bill, the Veterans Claims Efficiency Through Automation Act. This commonsense legislation will push the VA to focus on the greater use of automation to boost efficiency and settle claims faster. As our servicemembers and veterans transition back to civilian life, it is imperative that the VA and the DOD continue to collaborate on improving the delivery of care, eliminating the claims backlog, and mitigating the impact of sequestration. It is simply unacceptable that so many of our heroic veterans are unable to get timely access to the care and services that they have earned. This bill is an important step toward addressing this problem, and I will keep fighting to end the backlog until the job is done. We owe it to our men and women in uniform, to our veterans, and to our military families to do all that we can to ensure that their benefits and other services transfer from the Department of Defense to the Veterans Administration.…”