#EndTheVABacklog

I am absolutely exhausted, but am home after spending a taxing, but inspiring week advocating for veterans on The Hill.

In case you don't know, March 19th marked the 10th anniversary of the start of the Iraq war. There are still 60,000-ish troops in Afghanistan, and more than 2.6 million Americans  have now deployed in support of Operation Eduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation New Dawn.

Unfortunately, we don't always do the best job at taking care of these men and women when they come home.  Currently over 900,000 claims are pending at the VA, and it is anticipated that by the end of the month, that number will exceed 1,000,000. Of those claims, nearly 700,000 are backlogged, meaning they have been pending for over 125 days. This is unacceptable. In fact, the average wait time right now is more than 273 days, and in many major cities, like NYC and LA, the wait time is more than 600 days.  This is just for initial claims to be processed! Appeals often take even longer. 97% of all claims are still on paper. Yes, in 2013. In fact, some VA facilities have actually had to close due to the weight of the claims threatening the structural integrity of the buildings. This is what the VA backlog means to many vets. http://sth2013.tumblr.com/

I won't often ask things of you, but if you would please consider signing this petition, asking the President to step in and form a Presidential Commission to bring the best minds in the coutry together and create a plan to end the backlog, it would mean the world to so many veterans.  If you wouldn't mind signing, and sharing, please visit the following site: http://iava.org/sth2013

Thank you for caring, and for demanding better care for our veterans!