A congressman from Santa Barbara has co-authored a bill intended to help veterans whose records have been lost.
The bipartisan legislation would help veterans in bureaucratic limbo get the information they need for benefits and awards.
Some four decades ago, a fire at a federal records center destroyed the paperwork for an estimated 18 million veterans. It was well before information was stored on computer databases, and the records loss has created issues for veterans for years.
Democratic Congressman Salud Carbajal of Santa Barbara joined with Republican Congressman Doug LaMalfa of Richvale, in Northern California to co-author the legislation. It would develop guidelines for the use of alternative sources to verify veterans service records.
