March 28, 2019
Veterans shouldn't have to shoulder VA errors: VA debt collection must be improved
If your monthly income suddenly dropped by $1,500 — or even more — would you be able to weather the sudden change? For how long? For many Americans, a single unexpected financial hit like that would force them to borrow money or sell something; the prospect of seeing your monthly income suddenly and unexpectedly plummet for months — or even years to come — could be completely overwhelming. That is exactly what has happened to a significant number of veterans.
The Dept. of Veterans Affairs' Debt Management Center (shortened to “debtman” in their website’s URL, a naming convention that seems to bode ill for chances of a positive customer service experience) has sent out hundreds of thousands of notification letters in the past few years and collects over $1.6 annually.
To recoup overpayments, even those that occurred due to VA’s own accounting errors, the agency is currently allowed to withhold 100 percent of veterans’ monthly benefits until the full debt has been repaid, a disruption that can prove devastating.
Read the full article in The Hill.
More from CNAS
-
Podcast
National Security Human Capital Program
Could the U.S. Bring Back the Draft?In this episode of At the Boundary, GNSI’s Dr. Guido Rossi sits down with Katherine Kuzminski, Director of Studies at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS), to explore...
By Katherine L. Kuzminski
-
Podcast
Defense / National Security Human Capital Program / Technology & National Security
Episode 7: The Future Hands Shaping the U.S.’s Unmanned ArsenalHow is the U.S. responding to unmanned innovation across the globe? This episode with Paul Scharre, executive vice president, Stacie Pettyjohn, program director and senior fel...
By Stacie Pettyjohn, Paul Scharre & Lt. Gen. Jack Shanahan
-
Commentary
Defense / National Security Human Capital Program / Transatlantic Security / Technology & National Security
Sharper: America’s EdgeA volatile global security environment requires the United States and its allies to develop new tactics and capabilities to deal with novel global threats. On June 3, policyma...
By Charles Horn
-
Podcast
National Security Human Capital Program
National Security Has a Human Capital Problem and There’s No Fast Way OutNational security doesn’t really exist without the military forces and supporting civilians to carry it out. Recruitment remains a problem for the armed forces. And there’s a ...
By Katherine L. Kuzminski
