VA’s Las Vegas office getting 20 workers to help process disability claims

Faced with a staggering backlog of veterans’ disability claims in Nevada, the Department of Veterans Affairs will add 20 employees to process claims at the VA’s Las Vegas benefits office.

The additional workers will more than double the staff from 15 to 35 employees, said U.S. Rep. Dina Titus, D-Nev., on Wednesday.

The regional Reno VA Benefits Office, which serves more than 240,000 Nevada veterans in addition to vets in four northeastern California counties, was ranked fifth worst in the nation for processing claims and had among the highest backlogs.

In a statement, Titus noted that Southern Nevada is home to 150,000 veterans.

Titus, a member of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, held a Las Vegas field hearing on the backlog issue in November.

“I am pleased that the VA has heeded my calls,” she said.

U.S. Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., said the additional staff in Las Vegas will help the Reno office’s effort to improve processing claims.

“For years, veterans in Nevada have had to wait upwards of two years to receive disability compensation they have earned and deserve,” he said in a prepared statement.

Contact Keith Rogers at krogers@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0308. Find him on Twitter: @KeithRogers2.