Central Texas Veterans Wait Longest For Claims
AUSTIN (AP) - It takes about 393 days for a veteran in Central Texas to process a disability claim, an average of five months longer than those who live elsewhere.
According to the Department of Veteran Affairs, nearly one-fifth of the claims processed in Waco, which serves Central Texas, also contained errors, according to The Austin American-Statesman.
After California, Texas has the second-largest population of veterans in the country.
Texas' two claims offices, in Waco and Houston, are among the busiest. Local officials say they are feeling the pressures of a weak economy, aging veterans, rising numbers of young veterans returning from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and new rules that make it easier to file claims.
(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
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