HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — Del. James Moylan has nominated Vice Speaker Tina Muña Barnes and Vincent Anthony Borja to sit on a committee created to address problems faced by veterans in the Pacific.
Del. Moylan announced in a press release Monday that Tina Muña Barnes and Borja have been nominated to sit on the Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs newly created Advisory Committee for U.S. Outlying Areas and Freely Associated States.
Moylan explained his decision to pick Vice Speaker Barnes for the committee – which is designed to find solutions to problems faced by veterans not only in Guam but throughout the region – was for her passionate advocacy to “improve veteran services and care on island.”
Additionally, Moylan explained Tina Muña Barnes’ experience with her husband, Jake Barnes, an Air Force veteran, having to relocate to the mainland U.S. “brings the voice of what families of veterans must endure as their loved ones seek specialized care not available on island.”
As for Borja, Moylan stated Borja’s years dedicated to improving veteran services in Guam along with his “energy” were some of the reasons for his nomination.
“I am ecstatic to learn that two of our nominees were selected and appointed, and I am optimistic in what Tina and Vince will bring to the table for Guam’s veterans. This seat is direct access for veterans in Guam and in the region, as this committee would serve as an advisory to the secretary on issues of importance for those who served their nation,” Moylan said.
Letter
As stated in Moylan’s release, since taking office, he has made efforts to improve veterans’ conditions, demonstrated by a letter he wrote last week to Joshua Jacobs, the undersecretary of veterans benefits.
The letter was related to a study of how long veterans have to wait after submitting a disability claim until they receive a decision on their rating.
The release issued last week revealed a concerning factor for Moylan – that the average number of days Guam veterans have to wait is 55.3 – which is nearly double the number for mainland U.S. residents.
Despite the data being impacted by the pandemic and Typhoon Mawar, Moylan said he remained concerned and hoped to seek solutions by communicating with Jacobs.
“Our office is looking forward to meeting with the (Veterans Benefits Administration) to identify solutions in reducing these average timelines. Whether it would be proposing to increase the number of vendors on Guam who can complete the (VA claims) or having the DVA invest in technology to improve the time for exams to be submitted to the VBA, or addressing the bottlenecks in why it takes such a long period for results to be provided, we need to throw solutions on the table for consideration and implementation,” Moylan stated.
Vincent Anthony Borja
Tina Muña Barnes
James Moylan
Veteran Allen L. Turner salutes during the national anthem at the start of the I Hinanao I Magahet Yan I Ininnahe, or HMI, Guam veterans benefits symposium, Tuesday Aug. 8, 2023, at the University of Guam CLASS Lecture Hall in Mangilao.
