MEDIA ALERT
DEC 17 U.S. DISTRICT COURT HOUSE RALLY VETERANS GATHER TO FIGHT FOR FASTER DISABILITY BENEFITS DECISIONS FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS
WHAT:
Hundreds of thousands of America's heroes are facing irreparable financial and personal hardship because the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is taking a year, and in many cases more than four years, to provide decisions on their disability claims. Veterans from across the country will gather at the U.S. District Courthouse to show support for a lawsuit filed by the Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA) and Veterans of Modern Warfare (VMW) against the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The Court is holding a hearing on December 17 to hear arguments from the VVA and VMW and the VA.
The lawsuit filed by the VVA and VMW on behalf of thousands of American veterans seeks 90-day decisions on initial claims for disability benefits, and a 180-day period to resolve appeals of those decisions. If the VA cannot meet these standards, the VVA and VMW are asking for equitable relief in the form of monetary payments, which will provide veterans with a lifeline of support when it is most needed.
WHO:
- Julie Mock, President, Veterans of Modern Warfare
- Rick Weidman, Executive Director, Policy & Government Affairs, Vietnam Veterans of America
- Donald Overton, Executive Director, Veterans of Modern Warfare
- Christopher Karagheuzoff, Partner, Dorsey & Whitney LLP
- Veterans sharing stories of their arduous battles with the VA to receive the benefits to which they are entitled and representing the hundreds of thousands of veterans who are still waiting for resolution on their claims
WHEN: 10 AM, Wednesday, December 17, 2008
WHERE:
U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
333 Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20001
MORE:
- The VA takes a year or more to deliver initial benefits decisions, and on average, appeals take more than 4 years.
- The VA has a backlog of more than 600,000 benefit claims. This number will increase as the 1.6 million troops that served in Iraq and Afghanistan become eligible for benefits.
- A soldier's transition to civilian life is challenging. Delayed disability benefit awards create an additional and, in many cases, unmanageable stress for an already suffering population. According to the VA, the suicide rate among individuals in the VA's care may be as high as 7.5 times the national average, and every night more than 150,000 American veterans are homeless.
- Delays of benefits result in lost homes, lost jobs, broken families and destroyed lives.
RSVP: Robin Crawford / T: 202.974.5025 / C: 202.378.8385 / crawfordr@ruderfinn.com
