By: Andrew Ward | Founder & CEO, Acadiana Veteran Alliance
As President Trump hits the ground running in his second term, a central theme has already emerged from his administration: cutting inefficiencies across government. It’s clear from recent activity on Capitol Hill that Louisiana’s own Senator Bill Cassidy understands the President’s vision. In the case of one critical position, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA), Senator Cassidy has publicly backed the President’s strong vision for the department, which includes removing bureaucratic backlogs.
In an exchange with the nominee, former U.S. Representative Doug Collins, Senator Cassidy highlighted the need to “lean into” the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to process VA claims faster. Collins agreed, echoing his support for using the technology, which could help process data, optimize the VA’s records system, and improve the department’s productivity overall. This agreement and others resulted in Cassidy’s endorsement of Collins’ confirmation.
AI makes a great fit for this use case: The backlog of VA claims skyrocketed from 80,000 to 230,000 under the Biden administration. Expediting routine claims with AI will allow the department to dedicate more manpower to more detailed, complicated, and unique claim situations. It seems like a no-brainer, but the implementation of this technology into the Department of Veterans Affairs would be a great change to the system.
Lawmakers should continue to rally support for the new administration’s commonsense policies. Thank you, Senator Cassidy, for taking an active and supportive approach to enacting the President’s agenda in his first week back in office. It is heartening to see lawmakers working to advocate for our nation’s veterans in a way that prioritizes government efficiency.