VA Secretary Doug Collins defended his efforts to restructure the VA, describing a broken bureaucracy in need of reform, in his first appearance before Congress since his confirmation hearing. Members of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee largely agreed that the VA needs improvement, but Democrats expressed fury over how Collins is handling the reforms, saying he has not given them the necessary details on issues such as staffing cuts, contract cancellations, workplace accommodations, and more. "You cannot slash and trash the VA without eliminating essential positions which provide access and availability of health care," said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., the committee's ranking member.

VA officials unveiled a major reorganization of survivors assistance programs, including the establishment of an outreach team to help families of deceased veterans navigate the department’s bureaucracy. They also promised ongoing improvements to "increase automation that will expedite survivors’ claims” in coming months as part of the effort. VA officials said they currently process more than 1,000 DIC payments or adjustments a day through automated systems. They hope to expand that number in coming months, pending a review of the claims systems.

The VA typically treats memory loss as a symptom of another condition rather than looking at it as a disability. As such, there is no specific VA rating for memory loss. Instead, the VA will evaluate the service-connected injury or illness causing the memory loss when assigning a rating. Veterans with a memory loss condition like Alzheimer’s and dementia may also be eligible for VA disability benefits. Additionally, vets with TBI, PTSD, or fibromyalgia may all be at a greater risk of developing memory issues and in some cases, eligible for increased disability.

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