On the recordJuly 25, 2000
Madam Speaker, the House has before it today a piece of legislation that will go a long way towards helping veterans and their families file claims for VA benefits. I think the gentleman from New York (Mr. Quinn) rightly summarized it. The idea behind this bill is to make the VA more veterans user-friendly, so that the benefits that we owe to those who serve this country can be accorded to them. As things now stand, it is up to veterans to prove that they are entitled to receive a particular benefit. This is how the Veterans Court of Appeals interpreted, last October, the requirement that a veteran's claim be well grounded before the VA consider it. Once determined to be well grounded, the VA must help obtain evidence related to the claim's actual merits. The preliminary process approving eligibility for a claim can be an onerous one for veterans, as well as for their families.
Source
govinfo.gov
