Senator Bernard Sanders, independent of Vermont and chairman of the Veterans Affairs Committeee, will be on C-Span's "Newsmakers," talking about issues including the backlog of benefits claims for veterans.
Identifying the cost in terms of real dollars lost in economic development, jobs, higher interest rates, creating the backlog of benefits to veterans and seniors.
His call to action comes amid renewed criticism of the Department of Veterans Affairs, which has been under congressional scrutiny due to a heavy backlog of benefits claims and canceled appointment times.
The crush of retiring Vietnam veterans and wounded veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan overwhelmed the department during the Obama administration, leading to backlogs of benefits applications and delays in health care that led to the resignation in 2014 of Secretary Eric K. Shinseki.
In Shulkin's first year, Congress passed 11 bills to bring change to the agency, easing the backlog of benefit applications and appeals and clearing a fast path to fire employees involved in misconduct.
The report cites issues such as increases in employment discrimination, a growing veteran homeless population, mental health issues and backlog in benefit claims.
It took a month before the state Employment Development Department said it got a handle on about 124,000 backlogged unemployment benefits claim after a computer upgrade inadvertently halted payments.
The hospital construction woes are the latest in a long line of troubles that the Department of Veterans Affairs faces, from accusations of retaliation against whistleblowers to a backlog of compensation benefits to reports that wait times for appointments in some parts of the country still haven't improved.
Hundreds of thousands of people have been affected by a benefits backlog, the government has said.
State to hold hearing on EDD unemployment benefits backlog.
