Dro Delays Increasing?

[71M10]

Greetings all:

l looked over on the monday morning workload reports today and more specifically looked at SOCs. The backlog on SOCs are up 52% from last year nationwide and Detroit is up 58%. It looks like they are pushing initial decisions over appeals.

If we thought appeals took long before its going to get far worse since this is the narrower point of processing(a lot less DRO's and BVA panels than RVSR's).

Has anyone heard any proposals to significantly increase the BVA and CAVC's capacity?

Best regards,

Tyler

[jbasser]

Blue water vet denials could be the reason for this backlog.

J

[Ricky]

I read somewhere that they were going to receive money to increase staff.

However, just a thought, a big reason for the amount of appeals is that new off the street RVSR's are not receiving the amount of training required to insure they know how to properly rate a claim. Therefore, more appeals and yes the ratio of DRO's to RVSR's is way out of sync. In my supporting office the last count I had was approx 20 RVSR's and only three full time DRO's.

So my point here is that DRO's are hired from within so the RVSR's who are making simple stupid mistakes will move into DRO slots - The end of the story is: Now you have an un-qualified DRO making a decision on an appeal so off to the BVA we go.

[poolguy11550]

I read somewhere that they were going to receive money to increase staff.

However, just a thought, a big reason for the amount of appeals is that new off the street RVSR's are not receiving the amount of training required to insure they know how to properly rate a claim. Therefore, more appeals and yes the ratio of DRO's to RVSR's is way out of sync. In my supporting office the last count I had was approx 20 RVSR's and only three full time DRO's.

So my point here is that DRO's are hired from within so the RVSR's who are making simple stupid mistakes will move into DRO slots - The end of the story is: Now you have an un-qualified DRO making a decision on an appeal so off to the BVA we go.

Its a very sad but completely accurate description you make there, Clown Man.

[Berta]

"Blue water vet denials could be the reason for this backlog."

A possible effect- the VAROs have to consider any BWV claims for direct SC now that Haas is over.

Not all BWVs could raise direct SC in their initials claims.

But I dont think this is the actual impact on those backlogs-

and these are many claims which should not have been thrown into the AO BWV Moratorium anyhow.

"Has anyone heard any proposals to significantly increase the BVA and CAVC's capacity."

There were many potential solutions offerd at the Wednesday H VAC joint hearings in DC.

I dont see how increasing capacity of BVA and CAVC would help at all--the CAVC already called more judges out of retirement to work the backlog there. They have to focus on more adequate decisions at the RO levels.

As Ron ABrams (NVLSP) said at the hearing- the ROs are like the Lucy show when her and Ethel were on a production line of chocolates to wrap and pack and when the line sppeded up-they stuffed the candy into their hats, their bras, many fell on the floor and they began to stuff them into their mouths.

This is exactly what we deal with at the ROs-

the order of the day is take the EP work credit for working on the claim-it doesnt even matter if they read the claim.

Just deny and move on to the next claim-

A good RO decision staves off years at BVA and CAVC- these entities should be the last resort for any probative claim.

A claim with ample evidence that complies with the VCAA letter should be awarded at the RO level and within a reasonable amount of time.