[CHICAGO, IL] — U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Barack Obama (D-IL) today announced that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has begun sending letters to disabled Illinois veterans notifying them that the state has received the lowest average disability compensation in the nation. The VA today sent letters to more than 62,000 veterans in Illinois informing them of the historical trends in the state and the steps they can take to open new claims, appeal bad decisions, and get help from veteran service organizations.

The VA is required to send the letters as a result of an amendment offered by Durbin and Obama to the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations bill. The provision requires the VA to notify veterans living in states such as Illinois with below-average disability compensation about the history of past under-compensation. The information campaign will be conducted in states whose average annual disability compensation payment was less than $7,300. In 2003, Illinois veterans received an average of $6,802. Other states where veterans will receive notification include Indiana, Michigan, Connecticut, Ohio and New Jersey.

As a result of the amendment, the VA will also be conducting a media campaign involving advertisements, special notices and news releases to reach additional veterans. The campaign began last week and was targeted to Veterans Service Organizations, state and county veterans offices and local VA facilities.

“Disabled veterans should not receive different amounts of disability payments based on where they live. Americans have a fundamental dedication to fairness,” Durbin said. “The outreach campaign will help restore a level of fairness that Americans expect for our disabled veterans. Directly notifying our veterans of the options available to them is the next step in correcting the mistakes of the past,” Durbin said. “We urge veterans to come forward and work with the veterans service organizations and various government offices to correctly file their claims.”

“When the VA makes a mistake, they have an obligation to correct it,” said Obama. “Veterans in Illinois have been shortchanged by the VA for decades simply because of where they live. 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. If veterans feel like they have a disability that has gotten worse, or that the VA made a mistake in their claim, they can call 1-800-827-1000. The VA also has established a special website: www.vba.va.gov/SpecialOutreach to handle new claims.”

In 2004, an investigation by the Department of Veterans Affairs Inspector General showed Illinois veterans received the lowest disability payments in the nation. Illinois veterans received 42 percent less per year than the leading states (an average of $6,961 as opposed to $12,004 in the top-ranked state, New Mexico).