VA Informs Veterans On Low Compensation, Appeals
Monday, May 8, 2006
Printable Format(AP) CHICAGO The Veterans Affairs Department has begun sending out letters to tens of thousands of disabled Illinois veterans explaining how they can open new claims and appeal decisions if they believe their own disability compensation isn't adequate.
The letters -- addressed to more than 62,000 veterans around the state -- also confirm that Illinois has received the lowest average disability compensation in the country, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama's office said Monday.
"This is an important step towards righting that wrong by notifying veterans that they may not have received the benefits that they earned, and explaining to them their right to request a review of their claims," Obama, D-Ill., said in a written statement.
Recent legislation requires that the department send out the letters in states where the average annual disability compensation payment was less than $7,300. In 2003, the average payment in Illinois was $6,802, Obama's office said.
A 2004 VA investigation revealed that Illinois veterans received the lowest disability payments in the nation. A report last year by the department's Office of the Inspector General concluded that staffing shortages and a World War II-era compensation plan were some of the reasons for the disparity.
Along with the letters, the VA will run advertisements explaining how veterans can try to receive proper compensation, and the department also launched a Web site to provide information about the issue.
"Our goal is to ensure that all veterans receive the benefits they have earned through their service to our nation," VA Secretary Jim Nicholson said in a written statement.