Processing Of Claims Targeted For Extra Personnel

[LarryJ]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 14, 2010

Secretary Shinseki Announces Staffing Boost with Recovery Act Funds

Processing of Claims Targeted for Extra Personnel

WASHINGTON – The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is putting Americans to work with funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, while bolstering staffing at VA benefits offices where Veterans' claims are processed.

“Our hiring has put about approximately 2,300 people in jobs at these important local offices where staffs are working hard to process claims for eligible Veterans and their family members,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki.

The new hires do not directly decide Veterans claims, but they are involved in general office administrative work supporting the professional adjudicators making compensation or pension decisions or processing changes in Veterans benefits. This frees the more highly trained personnel to spend more time on their core activities.

VA expects the additional staffing will reduce the time it takes VA to process claims, meaning Veterans will receive benefits more quickly than they would otherwise.

The Recovery Act provided $150 million for the program to hire and train the new staffers. VA has hired 500 new staff members as permanent employees. While Recovery Act funding for the temporary employees will expire in September 2010, the 2011 President's budget includes funds to retain or replace these employees on a permanent basis and to hire more than 2,000 additional new processors.

[Troy Spurlock]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 14, 2010

Secretary Shinseki Announces Staffing Boost with Recovery Act Funds

Processing of Claims Targeted for Extra Personnel

WASHINGTON – The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is putting Americans to work with funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, while bolstering staffing at VA benefits offices where Veterans' claims are processed.

"Our hiring has put about approximately 2,300 people in jobs at these important local offices where staffs are working hard to process claims for eligible Veterans and their family members," said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki.

The new hires do not directly decide Veterans claims, but they are involved in general office administrative work supporting the professional adjudicators making compensation or pension decisions or processing changes in Veterans benefits. This frees the more highly trained personnel to spend more time on their core activities.

VA expects the additional staffing will reduce the time it takes VA to process claims, meaning Veterans will receive benefits more quickly than they would otherwise.

The Recovery Act provided $150 million for the program to hire and train the new staffers. VA has hired 500 new staff members as permanent employees. While Recovery Act funding for the temporary employees will expire in September 2010, the 2011 President's budget includes funds to retain or replace these employees on a permanent basis and to hire more than 2,000 additional new processors.

This is all great and dandy, but what evidence do we have that any of these new 2,000+ processors have the academic let alone intellectual capacity (e.g. attention to detail, ability to interpret the law and medical reports properly, to be fair, unbiased and impartial, etc.) to process veterans claims in a timely and efficient manner?

We don't...

This is all a "dog an pony" show.

T.S.

[Vync]

That is a lot of money to pay noobs to toss mail and fetch coffee

[*Bergie*]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 14, 2010

Secretary Shinseki Announces Staffing Boost with Recovery Act Funds

Processing of Claims Targeted for Extra Personnel

WASHINGTON – The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is putting Americans to work with funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, while bolstering staffing at VA benefits offices where Veterans' claims are processed.

"Our hiring has put about approximately 2,300 people in jobs at these important local offices where staffs are working hard to process claims for eligible Veterans and their family members," said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki.

The new hires do not directly decide Veterans claims, but they are involved in general office administrative work supporting the professional adjudicators making compensation or pension decisions or processing changes in Veterans benefits. This frees the more highly trained personnel to spend more time on their core activities.

VA expects the additional staffing will reduce the time it takes VA to process claims, meaning Veterans will receive benefits more quickly than they would otherwise.

The Recovery Act provided $150 million for the program to hire and train the new staffers. VA has hired 500 new staff members as permanent employees. While Recovery Act funding for the temporary employees will expire in September 2010, the 2011 President's budget includes funds to retain or replace these employees on a permanent basis and to hire more than 2,000 additional new processors.

Just what the VARO needs clerks for the staff. What next personal assistants. On a more serious note, if it helps as intended than great.

Bergie

[Pete53]

They need people to save their places in the coffee shop for the rush hours between 9 to 5

[Berta]

I have been studying vet's regs etc since I ordered the very first VBM in 1991.

I still learn a lot here all the time.It takes Years to understand VA 101.

While this sounds like a good idea- we are still suffering from the work of RO newbys who were hired about 2-3 years ago in order to resolve the backlog.I had to have them CUE 3 awards letters this year before they got it right-

Almost right-they still made errors in it that I will have to challenge.

The new AO presumptives claims -while adding to the RO case load -should be very easy to resolve as far as determining eligbility for SC. It is the retro that these newbys might mess up.

I think it is imperative whether your claim gets to a newby or to a well seasoned RO rater- that you comply with the VCAA letter ASAP and if you have strong feeling that only an IMO could resolve your claim-it is something to consider obtaining right from the git go.

In BVA remands, many have obvious gaps of evidence needed -that the claimant could have provided themselves.

As the BVA has said the claims process is a two way street.

There are denials and remands there at the BVA that could have been resolved much sooner if the vet had been proactive or had representation that supported getting the evidence in ASAP.

I wish these new hires at the ROs were Lawyers.That would be too costly for VA but it would be a vast improvement in the claims process.

Edited April 16, 2010 by Berta

[Vync]

I nominate Berta to replace Shinseki