On Wednesday, the House Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs held a hearing regarding recent changes to pre-discharge claims programs, which enable transitioning service members to file disability compensation claims before they are discharged from military service. VFW National Veterans Service Director Ryan Gallucci was on hand to deliver testimony which focused on the Benefits During Delivery (BDD) and Quick Start claims. Gallucci expressed the VFW’s concern that recent changes to the pre-discharge programs seem to indicate VA is attempting to reduce its claims workload by shifting responsibility to veterans service organizations, without adequately addressing unintended consequences. Additionally, Gallucci pointed out that in fiscal year 2017 alone, the VFW represented 500,000 claimants, which yielded more than $7.6 billion in earned benefits.