Davipw. JOLLY Congress of the United States House of Representatives Washington, BE 20515-0113 February 4, 2015 The Honorable Robert McDonald Secretary of Veterans Affairs 810 Vermont Ave, NW Washington, DC 20420 Dear Secretary McDonald: This is to bring to your attention a recent case in which my constituent, Mary-Ann Claugh, was declared deceased by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), even though she was, in fact, alive. As a result of this error, Mrs. Claugh went months without receiving the Dependency Indemnity Compensation (DIC) that she was owed, which led to unforeseen financial hardship. Fortunately, after Mrs, Claugh brought her situation to my attention, your Department ‘was able to correct her record and restore her VA DIC benefit. Lam interested to lear of the circumstances that led to the VA classifying Mrs. Claugh as deceased, so that we might work together to prevent such an occurrence from happening again in the future, Accordingly, I ask that you please report back to me on exactly how this error transpired and what safeguards have been put in place since this incident. This is not the first time a constituent in my Congressional District has experienced such an error, as I have heard from other individuals in the VA system that were incorrectly designated as deceased in the past. It goes without saying that these occurrences are disconcerting and unacceptable, In addition to my first request, I would like you to provide me with information regarding how often such incidents have occurred over the past five years and how the process for designating someone as deceased has evolved over time. Lastly, I invite your suggestions as to ways Congress can assist your Department in ensuring that such a mistake never happens again. Thank you for your time, attention and consideration to this very important matter. ‘With Much Respect, B11 y David W. Jolly Member of Congress “aie “em ma oom “Sinaasooa