San Bernardino - Rep. Joe Baca (D-Rialto) hosted a forum Saturday to address issues facing local veterans. Almost 100 veterans attended the forum, where speakers from the U.S. government were available to answer questions related to claims processing.

Speakers at the forum explained to local veterans how they can collect claims and how to cut down bureaucratic red tape. The speakers included Carrie Harmon from U.S. Vets, George Regler from the Department of Defense, Frank Van Nostrand from the Social Security Administration, Dwayne Harris from the Department of Veterans Affairs, Los Angeles, Louis Koff from the Department of Veterans Affairs, Sacramento, and Cathy Geiger from Loma Linda VA Medical Center. The moderator for the vent was Colonel Ray Coughenour.

Topics included programs for homeless veterans, combat-related pay and concurrent receipt, veterans and dependants education benefits, programs for homeless vets and medical care. The event was held at the Norman Feldheym Central Library Bing Wong Auditorium in San Bernardino.

"Our veterans have all served our country honorably," said Rep. Baca. "When they joined the United States Armed Forces, they promised to serve our country. In return, our country promised to take care of them. We must ensure that our government keeps our promise to our veterans.

"Right now many veterans programs are in danger. I can assure you that I will fight to protect your benefits."

"Many veterans have not been able to collect the claims they are entitled to due to a backlog of claims at the Department of Veterans Affairs. This is why I have introduced the Department of Veterans Affairs Claims Backlog Reduction Act of 2005. It will streamline the claims process, so that our veterans can receive the benefits they deserve."

According to Mr. Harris, there are over 650,000 backlogged claims at the Department of Veterans Affairs. He explained to the attendees how to properly document their claims and appeal them if they are denied.

Mr. Nostrand explained to the crowd how the Social Security Administration works and how benefits are calculated based on age and birth year. He said that many individuals do not realize that the retirement age is not necessarily 65, and therefore do not receive the benefits they expect.