Ball v. Department of Veterans Affairs
This suit challenged the failure of the Department of Veterans Affairs to send copies of “claims files” to twelve veterans who requested them. The veterans had all been waiting between 6 and 26 months for a response from the VA. Each of the twelve veterans requested their claims file to enable them to file an application for military disability retirement benefits. Under the Privacy Act, the VA is required to provide copies of a veteran’s claim file on request. Public Citizen brought this suit on behalf of the veterans, seeking an order directing the VA to produce the documents. The VA subsequently produced the requested claims files and the parties agreed to dismiss the case.