Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) is looking to improve veterans’ access to post-traumatic stress disorder care by adjusting the personnel training within the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Rounds is reintroducing the VA Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Processing Claims Improvement Act. He said it will require the VA to update the national training given to disability claim processors.
Rounds said the VA incorrectly processed almost 16% of PTSD claims in 2019.
“This kind of error rate is unacceptable,” Rounds said. “The quality of life of our veterans is seriously impacted when these claims are improperly processed.”
Rounds said the legislation would help eliminate these errors, giving veterans the quality of care they have earned.
This policy was initially proposed in 2021, but it was not signed into action.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) cosponsored the proposal.
“Our veterans have sacrificed so much for our country,” Klobuchar said. “We must repay this service and make sure they’re able to access quality benefits that meet their needs.”