WASHINGTON, DC -- In an effort to reduce the backlog of veterans' disability claims, eliminate bureaucratic delays, and deliver benefits to veterans more quickly and efficiently, U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) today announced that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) will make Providence the first Regional VA office in the nation to install a new Veterans Benefit Management System (VBMS).

VBMS is designed to move the VA to paperless benefits processing and provide other critical veterans services through the VA's Virtual Lifetime Electronic Record (VLER) and Veterans Relationship Management (VRM) System programs. Data captured through VBMS will be used to provide information to veterans through VRM on the status of their claims and to update their electronic records.

"I am pleased the Providence VA office will receive new tools and technology to reduce the backlog of veteran's claims and improve communication with our veterans. Submitting and processing claims can be a complex process. This new electronic system will track veterans throughout the system and help them cut down on paperwork and wait times. Upgrading the VA's IT resources will ensure that veterans and their families can access the benefits they earned," said Reed, a senior member of the Appropriations subcommittee that oversees the Veterans Administration. Reed helped boost federal funding for the VA by 15 percent last year. Since 2002, funding for veterans programs has more than doubled.

Nationwide, there are nearly 500,000 outstanding claims at the VA for service-related disabilities. Nearly 40 percent of those have been waiting on a decision for more than four months.

To eliminate the backlog, which Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki has made a top priority, the VA has expanded its workforce in the Veterans Benefits Administration by over 3,500 people and has begun accepting on-line applications for initial disability benefits.

Secretary Shinseki set the goal of completely eliminating the backlog, and processing all future claims within 125 days, by 2015.