Vets Getting Worse Dealing Dealing With Claims.

[tagandbag]

Haven.t heard this from Filner before, but I may be behind the times here. If this was posted before my apoligies.

t&b

Filner: VA claims process needs radical changes

By Rick Maze - Staff writer

Posted : Saturday Aug 1, 2009 10:33:21 EDT

Improving the veterans’ claims process will require more than just hiring more staff, the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee chairman said Friday.

Rep. Bob Filner, D-Calif., said in an interview that radical change is needed to eliminate the backlog of claims and make the whole process easier for veterans by automatically accepting claims for disabilities rated at 30 percent or less, with only spot-checking for accuracy.

Filner called this the “IRS model,” a reference to the Internal Revenue Service process of auditing a small percentage of federal income tax returns, not every one.

He said automatic claims approval, with some auditing, is a way of clear what he estimates are 100,000 claims from Vietnam veterans related to exposure to Agent Orange. And the practice also could put a big dent in the overall backlog of all claims pending before VA, which Filner estimates to be almost 1 million.

“When you are getting to a 1 million backlog, the insult is so great you really have to do something,” he said.

In many cases, he said, veterans “get more pain and suffering from the [claims] process than they ever did from their wounds.”

Reforming the claims process is on Filner’s list of top issues that must be addressed by Congress this year.

Other priorities, he said, include creating a process for advance funding of veterans’ health programs, starting a comprehensive program for homeless veterans, improving VA health care treatment for women, and expanding access to VA care for veterans in rural areas.

[broncovet]

Tagand Bag..

Yes, Filner is not the first one to promote the "IRS method" of approving claims. I think the first one was a professor at an IVY league college, who pointed out that most Veterans claims are eventually awarded anyway. U know the drill.. Apply..get denied, file NOD, wait, DRO denied, file appeal, BVA denied, wait, CAVC...denied, file federal court...remanded to CAVC...CAVC remands to BVA...BVA remands to RO..and RO looses paper work so you start all over again.

The "IRS" method means that if you apply for VA benefits, and if you have a verifable DD214 plus medical documentation, poof..you get approved in a couple weeks..kind of like the IRS sends millions of tax refund checks.

My question is, why has Filner not introduced some sort of a "Veterans Claim Expediency Act of 2009" to do just that? What is he waiting on...Christmas? I think he has been on the Veterans Affairs committee for 20 years, so my question is why has he not acted, and it makes me wonder if this is all just talk.

[Testvet]

The Ivy league Professor is DR Linda Blimes the co author of the 3 trillion dollar war with Joseph Stiglitz she has testified to Congress on this issue and yes Filner was there that day he is very familiar with her idea......

[broncovet]

Thanks..Test..yes, I bet that was Dr. Blimes. I love it when I forget where I read something, and then...poof...you filled in the blanks for me. I really dont make this stuff up..

[broncovet]

By the way, IMHO, Dr Blimes/Filner's "IRS Method" of approving claims right away would probably do more to reduce the one million or so claim backlog, plus stimulate the economy by giving this money to deserving individuals, than anything else we could do. JMHO..Unfortunately it is such a good idea, that it will probably never happen.

[Testvet]

My wife says I remember too much useless data lol sometimes it comes in handy

[Pete53]

My Dad used to tell me I was a Fountain of Useless Information. I have been blessed with a very good memory but sometimes that is not such a blessing if you know what I mean.