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Legislative UPDATE
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VA Claims I
Backlog Drops The VA has made major progress.
nitial claims for veterans’ dis- abilities and survivor benefits have dropped to 75,444 as of late September,
an almost 88-percent reduction from the 611,000 claims in March 2013. Almost five years ago, former VA Secre- tary Eric Shinseki announced the VA would eliminate the backlog of initial claims wait- ing more than 125 days for a decision by the end of 2015. Now, the VA appears to be in reach of that goal. Although some areas still need im-
provement, there is clear cause to cel- ebrate significant progress in battling the previously huge backlog. MOAA will continue to work with vet-
erans’ organization partners, Congress, and the VA to ensure the gains made so far lead to further progress for our nation’s service- members who have “borne the battle.” Col. Bob Norton, USA (Ret), a MOAA deputy director of Government Rela- tions, said, “We feel very confident
40 MILITARY OFFICER NOVEMBER 2015
that [VA] Under Secretary [for Benefits Allison] Hickey will continue to drive progress on the backlog going forward, including reductions in appealed and nonrating claims.”
Military Ethics A
Questioned Embarrassing incidents prompt a Hill review.
fter a series of embarrassing scandals over the past few years, Congress tasked DoD with
reviewing how it addresses professional development and ethical behavior. Un- fortunately, according to the Government Accountability Office, DoD has failed to implement necessary changes. The biggest impediment to change is that DoD didn’t develop metrics to mea- sure the program’s effectiveness. According to the report, “Without iden- tifying information sources and develop- ing intermediate goals and performance metrics that are clear, quantifiable, and objective … decision makers in DoD and Congress will not have full visibility into the department’s progress on professionalism- related issues.”
Other issues identified include a failure
of the Navy and Marine Corps to conduct 360-degree evaluations on all general and flag officers and for the Army and Air Force to require command-climate assessments in performance reviews.
MO
— Contributors are Col. Steve Strobridge, USAF (Ret), director; Col. Mike Barron, USA (Ret); Col. Bob Norton, USA (Ret); Capt. Kathy Beasley, USN (Ret); Col. Phil Odom, USAF (Ret); Cmdr. René Campos, USN (Ret); Karen Golden; Jamie Naughton; and Trina Fitzgerald, MOAA’s Govern- ment Relations Department. Visit www.moaa.org/ email to subscribe to MOAA’s Legislative Update.