The discovery, detailed in a report by the VA’s Office of Inspector General, was raised by several senators Wednesday as the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee held a hearing on whether Guard and Reserve members are being adequately informed of available benefits.

“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, a Washington state Democrat and a senior member of the committee.

Murray and others have long criticized the VA and the Defense Department for not doing enough to assist the more than 488,000 members of the National Guard and Reserve who have been mobilized and deployed.

VA and Pentagon officials defended their efforts and insisted improvements have been made.

“I am pleased to report the VA and Defense Department are coordinating their efforts more closely than ever before,” said retired Maj. Gen. Marianne Mathewson-Chapman, coordinator of the VA’s outreach programs for the National Guard and Reserve.

Wednesday’s hearing came as 3,300 members of the National Guard’s 81st Brigade Combat Team, mostly from Washington state, are training at the Yakima Training Center in preparation for a deployment to Iraq this fall. It will be the brigade’s second deployment to Iraq since the war began.

Murray said a recent Pentagon study found that National Guard members who served in Iraq and Afghanistan are 25 percent more likely to suffer from a combat-related psychological problem than active-duty soldiers are. In addition, Guard and Reserve members are twice as likely to have their VA claims denied than active-duty service members, she said.

“The skills that helped them deal with the horrific experiences they had on the battlefield often made it harder for them to return to everyday life,” she said. “And unlike active-duty troops, Guard and Reserve members often live in remote, rural areas, making it more difficult for them to gain access to the services and benefits they have earned.”

Other senators said Guard and Reserve members are often demobilized within days of their return, while active-duty members who are leaving the armed forces have weeks or months to prepare for the adjustment.

“They have one week to trade in a rifle for a job,” said Sen. John Tester, D-Mont. “They have one week to trade in patrols in hostile areas for civilian life.”

Mathewson-Chapman said the VA has become “proactive” in informing Guard and Reserve members and their families of the benefits they can receive. The VA has enrollment forms available when Guard and Reserve members are demobilized and during health care follow-ups 30, 60 and 90 days after they have been demobilized, she said.

The VA also is increasing the number of transition advisers it has to help returning veterans and has enrollment information available at a growing number of clinics in rural areas, she said.

“The system isn’t perfect, but we are making every effort to work the kinks out,” said Donald Nelson, the Pentagon’s deputy assistant secretary for Reserve affairs.

In many cases, it may be up to the commander of a Guard or Reserve unit to determine how much contact his returning soldiers have with the VA.

“The success depends a lot on the commander,” said Tester. “Shouldn’t it be more formal?”

“Yes, it should,” replied Bradley Mayes, director of the VA’s compensation and benefits service. But Mayes also suggested that a new generation of soldiers could require more than just meetings, letters and enrollment forms to learn about benefits. The VA might have to try such things as text messaging and podcasting.

“We need to communicate with the modern warrior,” he said. “They are different from those who served in World War II or Korea.”

Les Blumenthal: 202-383-0008

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