This week, U.S. Rep. Ted Yoho, R-Fla., brought back his proposal to increase access for congressional staffers to have access to help clear the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs’ (VA) backlog.
All last year, Yoho and U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy, D-Fla., pushed the “Working to Integrate Networks Guaranteeing Member Access Now Act” (WINGMAN). Back in February, the two Florida congressmen and U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Ill., sent a letter to U.S. VA Sec. Robert McDonald, urging him to give congressional staffers’ read only access for VA benefit matters. The congressmen insisted this would give congressional staffers more information and would help ease frustrations from constituents and brought that proposal into the legislative arena with the WINGMAN Act. The U.S. House Veterans Affairs passed the bill back in September without opposition.
More than 130 co-sponsors lined up in the House behind the proposal which passed by a voice vote in early December. But the bill did not pass the Senate, meaning Yoho had to bring it back which he did on Thursday.
“The interaction between congressional offices and the VA, on behalf of our nation’s veterans, should be seamless,” Yoho said as he reintroduced the bill. “Our veterans have answered the call to protect us and the freedoms we enjoy every day. It is only right that we do all we can to support and care for them in a timely manner. WINGMAN aims to do just that by expediting the claims process for all veterans who seek assistance and answers to their pending claims.
“It is unacceptable that extended periods of time pass by before congressional offices are able to receive the files they’ve requested from the VA to help veterans,” Yoho added. “No service member should have to wait to receive benefits they have more than earned. Our veterans and their families who have served in the defense of our country deserve a timely turnaround when filing their benefits claims.
“I am hopeful that members of the 115th Congress will prioritize reforming the veteran claims process and pass this commonsense bill,” Yoho said in conclusion.
Last year, Republican U.S. Sens. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Mark Kirk of Illinois, who was defeated in November, and Democratic U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota championed the bill
