VA failed to send benefits info to 37,000

WASHINGTON, July 24 (UPI) -- Thousands of National Guard and military Reserve members who served in Iraq and Afghanistan did not receive benefits information because of a mistake.

The Department of Veterans Affairs believed the 37,000 Guard and Reserve members were not eligible for benefits, McClatchy Newspapers reported. The mistake was brought out during a hearing Wednesday by the Senate Veteran Affairs Committee.

"While the VA has targeted outreach programs in place to help service members, we still miss far too many veterans who need help and aren't aware of the services and benefits they have earned," said Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., a senior member of the committee.

Almost 500,000 members of the Guard and Reserve have been deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq since 2001. Murray said a recent Defense Department study found those veterans are more likely than full-time military members to suffer from psychological problems related to combat service and to be denied benefits.