Despite Being ‘Very Much Alive,’ 4,200 Veterans’ Benefits Cut Off After Being Declared Dead
The Veterans Administration has since restored their benefits and has changed its protocols for confirming deaths. In other news, PBS NewsHour tracks the fallout from Secretary Robert McDonald's comments about wait lines.
The Boston Globe:
VA Restored Benefits To 4,200 Veterans Wrongly Declared Dead
A Florida congressman said the Veterans Administration cut off the benefits of more than 4,200 people nationwide after they were wrongly declared dead. Representative David Jolly, a Republican, said they were ‘‘very much alive’’ and their benefits were resumed after the VA looked into their cases, which happened between 2011 and 2015. Jolly raised the issue with the VA in November on behalf of a group of veterans in the Tampa Bay area. He said Wednesday that the agency has changed its protocols for confirming deaths. (Lush, 5/26)
PBS NewsHour:
Long Wait Times For Health Care Still Dogging Troubled Veterans Affairs Department
When Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald compared the exceptionally-long wait times veterans still endure to get health care to lines at Disneyland, a national firestorm erupted. House Speaker Paul Ryan said his words reflected a “culture of indifference” and McDonald apologized, but two years after the first VA scandal, wait times are still a major problem. (5/25)
