Fixing The Va

[hurryupnwait]

There's a lot of talk these days about fixing the VA. We have very talented people on Hadit and many know about the problems and issues with the VA, so let's start thinking about how to fix them. A Hadit think tank if you will.

When replying could we keep a format such as;

Issue: Slow processing of claims.

Fix: Hire and train more raters.

Cheers

Paul

[Pete53]

The new Sec is the key. If he can get a grasp on the situation and is prepared to ask Congress for the help to fix it can happen. First of all Bureaucrats are Bureaucrats and if the direction comes from up top a lot can change quickly. The first thing is to look for bottlenecks system wide and try to open that up.

Instead of a bonus system I think that they should pay overtime to any of the Raters or support who are willing to work over 40 hours. The overtime should be based on quality production and should be audited.

Also I do not understand why the VA has to start from scratch with military who receive medical discharges. They should be able to review and rate these guys in less than 30 days.

I also think that the VA should communicate with Veterans on their claims. If they are not able to find something they need they should advice the Veteran. They should also tell Veterans how long they should wait to hear from them.

Most of us felt like we were in a vacuum waiting for months and years to get an answer. If a rater has a high number of remands based on their mistakes they need to be replaced.

I also think that the VA should recruit Veterans that have some experience in helping Veterans with their claims. After all the VA is supposed to be on the Veterans side.

The regulations should also be changed for TDIU that if a Service Connected Veteran is deemed unable to work by a VA Doctor they should automatically be paid on TDIU basis. If they are able to start work than rolled back to Service Connected Rate. There is a difference between a Veteran who can't work and does not want to work.

The big change is that I think that after 4 months a temporary stipend that is a grant should be paid while the Veteran is waiting. I think it should be between 1500 and 3000 depending on the injuries.

Some of the VA works well once you have an award they are able to pay you on time with few mistakes.

Now to the Hospitals. Since many of the older Vets and others who are disabled have Social Security I think that they should get something like ChampVA but pays all copays and deductibles for the Veteran . Those Veterans would probably go outside the VA thus taking some of the pressure off at the Hospitals and Clinics. I think all Veterans who served and have good discharges should have free and good medical care its part of the deal in my opinion.

I also think that if we got Universal Health Care a lot of Veterans who use the VA only to get cheap copays would go away.

I am optimistic that the forces are in place to make big and needed changes but its still going to take time. By the way fixing the VA will not cost as much as the bailouts of even the car manufactures. Maybe they could call it a VA bailout?

[hollywoodnc]

Hollywood, I dont agree. They system in place obviously doesnt work. The training should be in an institution and the trainees tested far away from the inner operations of the VA. This could actually be a college level degree on its own accord.

This way a governing body could oversee the education of these folks and the ones who fail to get the course of study can be weeded out.

The must implement a continuous quality improvement system. Congress needs to change the authority of the executive branch and make the VA accountable to another agency. (Someone should mind the store). There needs to be a continuous basis of audits by an outside company like Underwriters Labratories to assess the ongoing quality operations ( Conducted yearly) and there must be some type of incentive in place for the employees to do a quality job, not just show numbers.

Total change is needed. Not just a Band Aid.

Jbasser...

Oh no, no, no...I'm not saying that a simple "Band Aid" should be applied here.

If it were up to me, I'd BULLDOZE this agency down, and rebuild it from scratch!

What I DID say, is that:

#1) As it stands TODAY, the DVA trains in house, and by Management of particular departments. Now, there are Pros and Cons to this, but they are trained there.

Furthermore, if people were trained in "Institutions" as you imply:

A) What college that you know that would carry such a curriculum?

(i)Is it in "Demand" enough to warrant a college offering it as a coarse?

B ) Who would Teach it?

C) Who would "Pay" to take such a coarse as part of their curriculum?

Given: When I took a Surgical Tech coarse, part of my curriculum involved "Lab". My Lab was in the Operating Room.

This brings me to "D"...

D) IF this coarse was offered in a college environment, wouldn't be logical to offer the RO as a Curriculum?

Do you see where I'm going with this?

Not that your idea isn't "Heartfelt", but it isn't a logical approach.

Now, IF the DVA goes Paperless, then this creates more room, whereas the RO can train/teach prospective employees, and pay them while they train. Additionally, their lab is onsite.

If you were never employed at this agency, then you don't know it's way of doing business. I worked there, so I know.

TRUE, that it's not organized in the least, and TRUE, it MUST be revamped, but going at it your way is not feasible.

There IS Oversite, and they DO report at least yearly. There ARE Subcommittees and Committees on Veterans Affairs.

Go to: http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/cgi-bin/...st.cgi?site=ctc

AND

http://veterans.senate.gov/public/

(ironically, Senator Richard Burr is my Senator, and I either call or e-mail him on a frequent basis)

For your info...

IF enough of US write our elected officials, there will be an uprising, thus the Gov't will start to hear, and listen, then act.

Remember, it's: "...The Government of the People, By the People, and For the People." and NOT

"...The Government Of the Person, By the Person, and For the Person."

I encourage ALL OF YOU to write, e-mail, and/or call your elected official and give him/her your ideas about how to change the VA, and make it work.

It is up to US to participate in CHANGE.

Don't just post it here...that's not enough.

Edited December 12, 2008 by hollywoodnc

[jbasser]

That is true brother. One thing is for sure. It is going to take an outside source to change it and make it effective.

Best of luck to you.

J

[71M10]

Greetings all:

I will throw in my nickles worth (used to be 2 cents but inflation)

PROBLEM: VA management is not focused on getting veterans whats entitled to them, they are focused on gate keeping and enforcing every single rule and procedure (right or wrong) that they have been given.

SOLUTION: change the attitude and focus, enact legislation that allows veterans to sue VA to include punative damages when they have been wrongfully denied benefits. To prevent the VA from not making a timely decision on benefits applied for we need to legislate that after a claim has been pending for over one year the accrued benefits are doubled when paid, after three years they are tripled. Once it becomes expensive to be sloppy or wrong it will be done right. When it becomes expensive to be untimely - timeliness will improve.

This way we will at least be compensated for our inconvenience.

Best regards,

Tyler

[poolguy11550]

Two words- adversarial system.

-"The adversarial system (or adversary system) of law is the system of law, generally adopted in common law countries, that relies on the skill of each advocate representing his or her party's positions and involves an impartial person, usually a jury, trying to determine the truth of the case."

Anther two words- fiduciary duty.

-"A fiduciary duty^[1] is the highest standard of care at either equity or law. A fiduciary (abbreviation fid) is expected to be extremely loyal to the person to whom he owes the duty (the "principal"): he must not put his personal interests before the duty, and must not profit from his position as a fiduciary, unless the principal consents."

The VBA adjudication process is supposed to based upon a non-adversarial process, a system friendly to the veteran. But like many issues where lawyers get involved- and a good ideal soon becomes complicated. VBA has many lawyers working on its side and the general stance these folks that as any good lawyer must maintain a fiduciary duty to there client.

1. The United States congress must allow an even playing field for the VA adjuacation process or somehow see to it that the VBA does not take up an adversarial interest in the rating process. The VBA will aways have lawyers and we need many of them there, but I am for letting the veteran have legal representation from the start of the claims process. In a way, it handcufts the veteran to not allow him/or her to hire a lawyer at any point in the process.

Do you really think that our government is going to actually and effectly demand that the VA become non-adversarial?

The best and effective issue our government can do now is remove the laws that prevet legal representaion from the start.

The VA already has their advocates from the start, so let the veterans have theirs also.

Edited December 12, 2008 by poolguy11550

[hollywoodnc]

The new Sec is the key. If he can get a grasp on the situation and is prepared to ask Congress for the help to fix it can happen. First of all Bureaucrats are Bureaucrats and if the direction comes from up top a lot can change quickly. The first thing is to look for bottlenecks system wide and try to open that up.

Instead of a bonus system I think that they should pay overtime to any of the Raters or support who are willing to work over 40 hours. The overtime should be based on quality production and should be audited.

Also I do not understand why the VA has to start from scratch with military who receive medical discharges. They should be able to review and rate these guys in less than 30 days.

I also think that the VA should communicate with Veterans on their claims. If they are not able to find something they need they should advice the Veteran. They should also tell Veterans how long they should wait to hear from them.

Most of us felt like we were in a vacuum waiting for months and years to get an answer. If a rater has a high number of remands based on their mistakes they need to be replaced.

I also think that the VA should recruit Veterans that have some experience in helping Veterans with their claims. After all the VA is supposed to be on the Veterans side.

The regulations should also be changed for TDIU that if a Service Connected Veteran is deemed unable to work by a VA Doctor they should automatically be paid on TDIU basis. If they are able to start work than rolled back to Service Connected Rate. There is a difference between a Veteran who can't work and does not want to work.

The big change is that I think that after 4 months a temporary stipend that is a grant should be paid while the Veteran is waiting. I think it should be between 1500 and 3000 depending on the injuries.

Some of the VA works well once you have an award they are able to pay you on time with few mistakes.

Now to the Hospitals. Since many of the older Vets and others who are disabled have Social Security I think that they should get something like ChampVA but pays all copays and deductibles for the Veteran . Those Veterans would probably go outside the VA thus taking some of the pressure off at the Hospitals and Clinics. I think all Veterans who served and have good discharges should have free and good medical care its part of the deal in my opinion.

I also think that if we got Universal Health Care a lot of Veterans who use the VA only to get cheap copays would go away.

I am optimistic that the forces are in place to make big and needed changes but its still going to take time. By the way fixing the VA will not cost as much as the bailouts of even the car manufactures. Maybe they could call it a VA bailout?

Hi Pete!

If I may, I'd like to address some issues that you had presented...

"...Overtime offered...audited for productivity"

CONFIRMED...It is offered, and it better be productive. Management does monitor productivity.

"Also I do not understand why the VA has to start from scratch with military who receive medical discharges. They should be able to review and rate these guys in less than 30 days."

My SO had mentioned to me (and others can verify it for accuracy) that any active service member, who is injured, it is reported to the DVA even before the individual is discharged. THIS is a GOOD idea!

There is also a record, along with the dates and type of injury suffered. However I did not verify this.

"I also think that the VA should communicate with Veterans on their claims. If they are not able to find something they need they should advice the Veteran. They should also tell Veterans how long they should wait to hear from them."

Pete...this is a really good idea, and I'm going to give you a gift for support (No...no a Jockstrap hahaha)

Write your Congressman and tell him this idea, BUT as concrete evidence: also tell him that (Fed. Office of Workers Comp)OWCP does this. I know this as FACT! I have a claim, and when I call their number, no more than 3 business days, I am contacted by the OWCP rep.

So put that in your letter to.

"Most of us felt like we were in a vacuum waiting...they need to be replaced."

They are replaced IF they don't produce enough claims. However, you are CORRECT, when they should also be replaced if they possess MANY errors. Unfortunately, a lot of the adjudicators are going with what these so called doctors are saying. The psychology here is, if a Vet's claim isn't approved...that's the best for US. They SAY different, but actions speak a thousand words!

"I also think that the VA should recruit Veterans...After all the VA is supposed to be on the Veterans side."

Believe it or not, a lot of Veterans are employed at many RO's. Even they have to comply to the auspices of the Quota Bonus!

Some of these Veterans are also Management, and hold the "Bullwhip"!

"The regulations should also be changed for TDIU...a Veteran who can't work and does not want to work."

TRUE. Unfortunately there are people at the VA level that view ALL as fictitious claimants. Not ALL are. Now, on the FLIP SIDE, there are tricksters that will claim that they are disabled, and I believe that the VA should start looking at the criteria established by the U.S. Supreme Court. A person is considered as disabled if they have a disability that substantially limits one or more major lifes' activities. It should be more limiting, by changing Substantially to severely. This will separate the Can't workers from the Won't workers.

"The big change is that I think that after 4...depending on the injuries."

I've heard this before, and don't agree. This will balloon the annual VA budget, and if it is found that the Veteran is denied for an increase, then this is a waste of taxpayer dollars.

In RE to "Hospitals"...

The next few years will dictate if Universal Healthcare is introduced. VA hospitals/clinics could conceivably become obsolete.

That would be nice, because a lot of VA doctors are incompetents anyway! There are some that I wouldn't trust with a band aid!

Anyway...gotta go...I hope this helps.

Please write your elected officials with your ideas.