F*cking disgrace.
Via The Hill:
Regional offices run by the Department of Veterans Affairs closed Tuesday as furloughs began for 7,000 employees of the agency’s Benefits Administration.
“All public access to VBA regional offices and facilities will be suspended … due to a lack of funds,” Veterans Affairs Department spokeswoman Victoria Dillon said in a statement provided to The Hill.
The government shutdown, in its eighth day, has caused agencies to send government workers home who are deemed “non-essential.”
FEMA, for example, called some of its furloughed employees back to work to track Tropical Storm Karen, but they were then re-furloughed Monday.
No one will be answering phones at regional veterans offices, which veterans call to check on the status of their disability benefits.
Consequently, many veterans’ benefits will be delayed. VA’s ability to reduce the claims backlog, Dillon says, is hampered without claims processors who work overtime. Overtime was eliminated when the shutdown began.