A veterans spending package that the U.S. Senate will consider after its return from a weeklong Memorial Day recess includes $159 billion for the Department of Veterans Affairs to improve its health-care services as well as a suggestion: Take advantage of help from law school clinics to curb a backlog of disability claims.
The proposal is backed by two Virginia senators who cite the Puller Veterans Benefits Clinic at the state’s William & Mary Law School as an example. It comes amid a firestorm of criticism over lengthy wait times at Veterans Affairs hospitals and a backlog that comprises more than 51 percent of outstanding disability claims from military service personnel.