Thousands of Veterans that have been waiting for benefits for years already have been put on hold again according to the announcement by the VA last week.  This coming after President Trump held a conference call with Veteran and veteran advocates last month, which AVAPP attended, where he celebrated the win for Blue Water Veterans.

Last week VA Secretary Robert Wilkie said the delay is designed to “ensure that we have the proper resources in place to meet the needs of our Blue Water Veteran community and minimize the impact on all veterans filing for disability compensation.”

VA officials have insisted as many as 560,000 veterans could qualify for the benefits, and the cost in benefits and processing work could total nearly $6 billion over the next decade.

Advocates have seen this as another set back for Vietnam Veterans that have already waited decades to receive treatment.

“Time is of the essence in this matter. Blue Water Navy Veterans are dying every day,” John Wells, retired Navy commander and the executive director of Military-Veterans Advocacy, wrote in a letter to Wilkie Monday morning. “These veterans have waited long enough.”

The VA has set up an information web site for veterans and family members to explain the changes.