WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today Third District Representative Walter B. Jones (R-NC) visited the Veterans Affairs (VA) Regional Office in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. VA Regional Office Director Daniel Umlauf acted as Congressman Jones’ guide for the day, introducing him to employees and veterans. The Winston-Salem Regional Office provides benefits and services in all program areas to veterans, service members and reservists residing in North Carolina. These programs include compensation, pension, loan guarantee, and vocational rehabilitation.

“Each year, I visit the Winston-Salem Regional Office to learn more about the work being done there and, more importantly, to personally thank the VA employees for all they do on behalf of our Nation's veterans,” Congressman Jones said. “As the U.S. Representative for a district that is home to more than 70,000 veterans, I am constantly monitoring issues that impact our veterans and working to address the needs of those men and women who have selflessly served our Nation. I commend the Winston-Salem Regional Office for excelling in their efforts to reduce the number of pending claims, while still striving to maintain the accuracy of their case audits.”

“I am very pleased with the relationship that my congressional office has had with the Winston-Salem Regional Office over the past fourteen years,” Jones said. “I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to witness firsthand all of the great work being done by Mr. Umlauf and his staff to provide professional and compassionate care for our veterans.”

The VA issued the following statistics upon Congressman Jones’ visit today. During the fiscal year to date (October 2007 through July 2008), the Winston-Salem Regional Office:

- completed 37,390 disability claims for veterans residing in North Carolina;

- completed 10,717 Benefits Delivery at Discharge (BDD) claims for servicemen and women at military bases in states east of the Mississippi River;

- processed 229 applications per month for vocational rehabilitation and employment services and benefits and met with 2,245 veterans seeking rehabilitation services; and

- processed over 224,000 applications for home loan certificates of eligibility for veterans and service members residing in all 50 states.

For additional information, or to schedule an interview with Congressman Walter B. Jones, please contact Kathleen Joyce at 202-225-3415.