Swalwell Announces Over $1 Million in Retroactive Benefits Veterans in District 15

U.S. Representative Eric Swalwell (CA-15) announced last week that his office has helped CA-15 veterans receive a total of more than $1 million in retroactive benefits such as disability payments from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Benefits Administration since January 2013. This represents benefits the veterans earned but were overdue in receiving from the VA. 

“When veterans experience problems accessing the benefits they’ve earned and deserve, my office is here to help cut through the red tape and ensure they receive their due,” said Swalwell. “I’m thrilled that in just 18 months, we’ve helped veterans in the Fifteenth Congressional District receive over $1 million in retroactive benefits from the VA.  We promise to serve our veterans as well as they served us, and this is one part of fulfilling our responsibility.”

Swalwell has been an active critic of the benefits backlog at the Oakland Regional VA Office and cosponsored several bills to speed up the VA claims processing and increase its efficiency. He also called for the hiring of an experienced VA director with a proven record of success to take the helm of the Oakland VA to finally end the shameful backlog. The VA hired Julianna Boor as the new Oakland Regional Office director in May 2014.   

—Information submitted by the Office of Congressman Eric Swalwell