WASHINGTON, Feb. 11 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, today issued the following statement on a report by the Center for Investigative Reporting that the Navy SEAL who says he killed Osama bin Laden has a disability claim, like nearly 900,000 other veterans, that is stuck in a VA backlog:

“It is simply not acceptable for any veteran to wait many months or years for the benefits that they are entitled to receive. This is a priority for the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. We will do everything we can to make sure that a broken claims system is fixed.  In fact, we will be holding a hearing next month on this important issue.”