Rep. David Valadao, R-Calif., introduced new legislation last week with the aim of improving the claims process for veterans by requiring the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to make AI tools available to its workforce.
The Modernizing All Veterans and Survivors Claims Processing Act – supported by House VA Committee Chairman Mike Bost, R-Ill. – would require the VA to create a plan to make automation tools available for all Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) offices and the VA Board of Veterans’ Appeals to process benefits claims for survivors and veterans more efficiently.
“Veterans shouldn’t be waiting months for their benefits because of outdated technology at the VA, but sadly that’s happening across the country,” Rep. Valadao said in a June 28 statement. “This commonsense bill ensures the VA has the technology and resources they need to review veterans’ claims in a more timely and efficient manner.”
“In order to ensure that our veterans and their families can access the benefits they have earned, we must keep pushing VA forward in their modernization efforts,” said Rep. Bost. “This commonsense bill would require VA to develop a plan for how all of VBA’s different offices can and should process veterans’ and their survivors’ claims in a more efficient manner. In return, veterans and their families won’t be stuck waiting months on end for answers on their claims.”
“I look forward to moving Rep. Valadao’s vitally important bill through the legislative process as soon as possible,” Rep. Bost added.
The Modernizing All Veterans and Survivors Claims Processing Act would require the VA to create a plan – and report it to Congress – to make available AI tools developed for the purpose of processing veterans’ and survivors’ claims for VA benefits.
According to the text of the bill, the automation tools will help the VA:
- Retrieve service or health records of a veteran;
- Compile evidence;
- Provide decision support;
- Share information between Federal agencies; and
- Assist in generating correspondence.
According to the VBA, VA’s claim backlog as of June 29 sits at 268,390. This is a downward trend from earlier this year when veterans’ claims backlog hit more than 400,000 – the highest it’s been since 2013.
The VA expected this increase with the passage of the PACT Act in 2022. The PACT Act is a new law that expands VA health care and benefits for veterans exposed to burn pits, Agent Orange, and other toxic substances.
