Findings

Congress finds the following: (1) The Department of Veterans Affairs sets forth criteria for priority processing of veterans’ disability claims by the Department. (2) Such criteria include veterans affected by extreme financial hardship, homelessness, terminal illness, and participants in the Department’s Fully Developed Claim program. (3) Currently there is no process in place to prioritize the disability claims of veterans affected by major disasters such as fires and floods. (4) Priority claims processing for veterans affected by major disasters will significantly help such veterans begin rebuilding their lives.