ST. PAUL, Minn. - Members of Minnesota’s congressional delegation are pressing the Department of Veterans Affairs to fix unanswered VA phone lines.
A KARE 11 investigation revealed how veterans searching for information about their benefits claims were being routed to one number that was disconnected and another that rang repeatedly without being answered.
“This is absolutely outrageous,” said Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN).
“We’re going to find out what the reason is,” Rep. Tim Walz (D-MN) told KARE 11. “We’re going to find out why you can’t at least have an answering machine.
KARE 11 reported how Air Force veteran Bob Morris of Avon, Minnesota had called a VA 800 number earlier this month.
“The phone’s ringing, and the phone’s ringing,” he said. But he never got an answer. Not even a recording.
When KARE 11 called the same number, the phone rang for more than three minutes before disconnecting.
That wasn’t the only problem.
When Morris tried another number listed on the VA website, he got a recording saying the number was no longer in service. Instead of directing him to a new VA number, the automated directory assistance recording suggests connecting to private businesses including locksmiths, plumbers and a veterinary service.
“I couldn’t believe it, you know,” Morris sighed.
Lawmakers were outraged.
“You think about our veterans again serving our country on the front line and they can’t even get the phone lines right,” Sen. Klobuchar told KARE 11.
Rep. Tim Walz says the VA told him the disconnected number Morris used had been listed by mistake. But they claimed the 800 number should work.
So, Walz says he tried it himself this morning. Once from his cell phone and once from his Congressional office.
“When I called it again this morning, it rang 10 times, and then cut off,” Walz said.
Walz says he’s frustrated the VA doesn’t have a better phone system.
“My kids set up multiple voice mailboxes on their cellphones – and they’re in fourth grade,” the Congressman said. “We could at least have a voice mail, I would think.”
Veteran Bob Morris was trying to call the VA’s Board of Veterans’ Appeals to get a date for a hearing in a benefits case he’s been fighting for years.
With a backlog of more than 400,000, the VA told Rep. Walz that their phones sometimes get overloaded.
“That might be the reason, but that is certainly not the answer,” Walz said. “The answer is: figure out how to get it so someone picks up the phone.”
He says fixing the phone problem is just the first step. Walz is also calling for quick action on a bill he helped sponsor to streamline the entire appeals process. If passed, he hopes veterans like Bob Morris don’t have to wait years to get a hearing.
Meanwhile, Sen. Klobuchar says her office has already reached out to Morris. She told KARE 11 she plans to speak to him personally to assist in finally getting him a hearing date.
The VA has yet to respond directly to KARE 11 questions about its dysfunctional phone system.