Veterans Affairs Official Overseeing Backlog of Claims Resigns

The New York Times: The Department of Veterans Affairs administrator in charge of reducing the huge backlog of veterans benefits, who was a frequent target of critics, resigned on Friday despite a vast reduction in pending claims.

The administrator, Allison A. Hickey, became under secretary for benefits in 2011, overseeing 20,000 employees and benefits for more than 12 million veterans and their families. During her tenure, she emphasized a changeover from paper to digital claims, and the backlog in pending benefits claims declined from 611,000 in March 2013 to about 75,000 cases this week.

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