My mother-in-law served honorably as a nurse during World War II, and earned the right to certain benefits designed to assist her in her old age. She died nine months after applying for those benefits for which she was fully qualified. The Veterans Administration still had not acted on her application.

My father also served in World War II. He was not a famous officer or hero, though he did earn the World War II Victory Medal, the Good Conduct Medal, the Asiatic Pacific Theater Campaign Ribbon, and the Philippines Liberation Ribbon with Bronze Star.

I assisted my father in applying for benefits last November. All the required information was provided thoroughly and concisely, although the VA has asked for certain items to be resubmitted multiple times.

About three months ago, I reached out to Sen. Judd Gregg's office for help. Our application has since been "fast tracked" as one with senatorial interest. I have been assigned an "expediter," a nice and responsive person doing her best to assist.

But the root cause is not even being looked at. I have come to learn that my father's application is the norm, and that the staff of congressional offices throughout the country devote time to expediting applications. If I were a cynic, I would say that the plan is clear: that by design the VA plan is to delay benefits as long as they can in the hopes that the applicants will die before receiving them.

Those who need the benefits they earned are some of our most vulnerable citizens: extremely elderly with few financial resources and no lobby to work on their behalf. On this Veterans Day, I ask our congressional representatives to address this situation immediately. My dad is 86. I don't want the next applicant to go through what he has.

(Tom Daniels lives in Bow.)