July 18, 2008 - Congress and the Bush administration meant well in 2003 and 2004 when they upped the benefits to many thousands of retired veterans with disabilities. But while the idea of allowing them to get both retirement and disability pay -- and retroactive payments for years when that was not allowed -- sounded simple enough, actually getting cash into their hands soon became an embarrassment to the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Pentagon.

A congressional staff report -- commissioned by Rep. Dennis Kucinich, chairman of a House Oversight and Government Reform subcommittee -- has found that eligibility rules were so convoluted that nearly 8,800 potential recipients died before their cases could be evaluated. A backlog of cases that grew to more than 200,000 was not cleared until quality controls were relaxed -- a decision that officials concede may have led to the rejection of many valid claims. At a hearing before Kucinich Wednesday, Pentagon officials agreed to review more than 25,000 denials -- plus another 60,000 cases to see if proper payments were made.

The committee report found plenty of blame to go around. An interagency task force to implement the new rules first met two years after the "VA Retro" program was approved. The task of reviewing cases was farmed out to Lockheed Martin, a defense contractor already working for the Defense Finance and Accounting Service. Lockheed found the program's regulations so confusing that no software could dependably calculate benefits -- and yet did not hire more people for the project. One possible reason: a contract that ensured no punishment for pokiness.

For many veterans, this story of inefficiency and of benefits either delayed or cavalierly denied is all too familiar. The Pentagon owes them a swift review so the VA can make proper payments.

Kucinich has focused on Lockheed's work and its one-sided deal -- and there's certainly no excuse for that arrangement. But Congress and the administration constructed an impossibly complex system. Again, it's a familiar story for veterans: Their government is so obsessed with possible fraud that it frustrates legitimate claims. That's no way to treat those who served honorably and sacrificed so much.