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Report: St. Louis VA mishandled 1/3 of disability claims

A federal investigation finds a high rate of mismanaged disability claims at the St. Louis VA.

A U.S. Office of the Inspector General report released Thursday found that the St. Louis veterans' benefits office mishandled one-third of the disability claims it processes. Qualified veterans were paid too much as well as too little.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that an average benefits claim has been pending at the downtown St. Louis regional benefits office for 171 days. That's about two months above the Veterans Benefits Administration target.

The 815-employee office is one of more than 50 regional VA benefit offices where more than 12,000 compensation claims awaiting processing.

The St. Louis office regional office's acting director agrees with the federal investigators' recommendations on how to improve performance.

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