EXCLUSIVE: Sen. Jon Ossoff pushes for faster veteran benefits
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - On Thursday, we sat down with Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff for an exclusive interview to talk about the Veteran Transition Act.
The bill would require VA reps to meet with active-duty military six months before they leave the armed forces.
“So what we thought is, look, if veterans are having a really tough time filing these claims after they’ve left the military, let’s require the VA to send representatives to meet with service before they leave the armed forces and get going on their claims while they’re still in the military while they still have all their service records. So that when they leave, they’re already set up for success with the VA,” said Ossoff.
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Sometimes, it can take vets years to get claims approved. So, the hope is this will help.
We spoke with a veteran about how it will help them transition to civilian life.
For some veterans like Kelly Knitter the transition from active military to civilian life is hard.
“Light switch, on and off. One day you’re wearing the military uniform, and you know everything and only about the military, and the next day, you’re expected to be a fun, loving and professional civilian working out there and knowing what to do. You can’t do that on the flip,” said Knitter.
Training for the military can take months, but they only get a week to get ready for what’s next.
“And during that week, you’re learning three days of how to build a resume. You have four hours, literally four hours, just to do VA benefit training,” said Knitter.
Ossoff says he wants to give veterans a jump start on getting their benefits.
“I hear from Georgia veterans all the time, that when they try to file their claims for service-connected disability, it can take years to fight the VA to locate all the relevant paperwork. We want to make it easy and seamless for military service to transition into the VA system,” he said.
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Service will be able to locate records at a faster rate and get connected with a VA representative, allowing them to enjoy their new lives post-military.
“We want to make it easy and seamless for military service to transition into the VA system,” said Ossoff.
The bill already has bipartisan .
Ossoff, a Democrat, has ed forces with a Republican senator from Texas, so this already has on both sides of the aisle.
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