U.S. Congressman Dale Strong has focused on an issue he believes is affecting the quality of daily life for many American veterans.
As North Alabama's voice in Washington, Rep. Strong (R-Monrovia) said he wants to address issues that have called into question the efficiency of the Department of Veterans Affairs' Beneficiary Travel Self-Service System. BTSSS is the Department of Veterans Affairs' web-based travel reimbursement program.
Strong sent a letter this week to VA Secretary Dennis R. McDonough expressing his concerns and also citing the volume of complaints his office has received about the issue.
“Over the past 18 months, my office has received countless complaints about BTSSS and requests for assistance navigating the bureaucracy of the VA reimbursement process. These concerns have included technical glitches, usability issues, processing delays, and the withdrawal of recommendations for paper billing,” Strong wrote.
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“This report [May 2024 GAO report, âAdditional Assessment of Mileage Reimbursement Data and Veteransâ Travel Costs Needed,â] We highlight that the VA does not accurately track the total costs of Veterans' travel to VA appointments, which will aid in further program evaluation and inform future VA decisions regarding resource allocation and expansion of community care options, which in turn will help mitigate the need for frequent use of BTSSS.
In the letter, Strong posed three questions to McDonough:
- Will VA implement the four recommendations outlined in the May 2024 GAO report?
- How does VA plan to address system bugs and processing delays within the BTSSS to ensure all veterans receive timely reimbursement regardless of their preferred filing method?
- Do you have a plan to expand the care resources and options available to veterans in Alabama's 5th Congressional District?
The 5th Congressional District is home to a large number of veterans, many of whom rely on the VA for a variety of services: Approximately 9.8% of residents in Alabama’s 5th District, or about 57,200 people, have veteran status, a higher percentage than most districts across Alabama and the nation.
According to Strong, investigations by the VA Office of Inspector General (OIG) and the Government Accountability Office (GAO) have already found significant problems with reimbursement systems across the country.
Austin Shipley is a staff writer for Yellow Hammer News. You can follow him on X. @ShipleyAusten
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