Va Claims Backlog Is Not 783,000 Its Still Over 1,000,000

[Capt.]

Hello All, I am still confused that we keep getting fed with wrong numbers and information concerning the VA's backlog problem. As posted here in several articles the number of claims backlog keeps popping up at 783,000 by several agencies. I would like to put something to the board and look at this thing as it has progressed since 2009. Ok now the FACTS. According to VA Secretary Shenseki article posted 09-01-2010 at VA Watchdog.org he addressed an American Legion Conference telling those that the backlog was over 1,000,000 backlogged claims. and that VA was averaging 97,000 new claims every month. http://www.vawatchdog.org/10/nf10/nfsep10/nf090110-6.htm

OK , thats from the Secretarys own mouth. Now we see in ArmyTimes http://www.armytimes.com/news/2011/02/military-va-claims-backlog-021411w/ that the backlog is 783,000. We also see that in the watchdog.org article that claims average for decision , good or bad is 160 days. Its not hard to see that the math does not work and that the backlog is HUGE. Where did all the numbers go. Its not getting better, its getting worse as most of us have seen or experienced. Yes , its true that the roughly 3500 new adjudicators are also working on the AO cases since the new IHD presumptive were added this past fall, but not 300,000 to 400,000 less claims being adjudicated. This is really misleading and getting out of hand. Whether the VA is not counting those may be their reason for the discrepency in total numbers but it is not being added correctly, nor truthfully. The problem is still HUGE and getting worse.

Also in this week's Senate hearing , American Legion Director Tim Tetz http://www.legion.org/legislative/97265/legion-treat-root-va-claims-backlog said the way to save money and move the backlogged claims problem is to stop the C and P exams when a veteran already has a diagnosis from his VA doctors , or family doctors. AMEN. What a simple idea. Yes it would move claims and we would also have ACCURATE decisions and less BVA REMANDS. Oh yes but then comes the wonderful corruption of QTC and its billion dollar contract to assign C and P Exams. It is no wonder that CEO Princippi, past VA Secretary and Dr. Peake , a board director and another past VA Secretary himself are steering this. They are making alot of money. Unfortunately it is the veteran that looses and the Veteran is at risk again. For those of you who are mad and tired of the hamster wheel maybe by calling our Senators and Congressmen to support some type of legislation like Tim Tetz is suggesting needs to be put into a bill or law. Certainly the VA Senate and House Committee members would need to see this. Its just some thoughts I had and wanted to sound off on. I hope I did not step on someones feelings but this thing is out of control. NEVER GIVE UP. God Bless, C.C.

P.S. My hand hurts so bad

Edited March 3, 2011 by Capt.Contaminate

[broncovet]

I agree. While I am not sure how/why the VA gets away with manipulating the numbers, I can speculate that its 783,000 PLUS appeals, making it over one million, but dont take that one to the bank.

I do know that my 2004, 2008, and 2009 appeals are just now getting to the BVA.

Sometimes I think their idea of lowering the backlog is to go from

700,000 Veterans waiting 6 months for an initial decision and 300,000 waiting 4 years for an appeal decision to go

to 600,000 waiting 6 months for a decision and 500,000 waiting 6 years for appeals. That is, they approve more claims and double the number of appeals.

[Chuck75]

Some of the "quick process" A.O. related claim forms, when filled out properly by a treating physician, do result in claim processing without a C&P.

Currently, the law & regs are such that if the claim is denied without a C&P, and the other conditions are met, a veteran can claim lack of "due process".

The real problem is that the RO's don't like to make a decision without a C&P.

I don't know if this is because the RO wants someone else to help bear the responsibility for a resulting decision, hope that the C&P might help deny a claim, or just delay it, and take the pressure of the RO for the moment.

Hello All, I am still confused that we keep getting fed with wrong numbers and information concerning the VA's backlog problem. As posted here in several articles the number of claims backlog keeps popping up at 783,000 by several agencies. I would like to put something to the board and look at this thing as it has progressed since 2009. Ok now the FACTS. According to VA Secretary Shenseki article posted 09-01-2010 at VA Watchdog.org he addressed an American Legion Conference telling those that the backlog was over 1,000,000 backlogged claims. and that VA was averaging 97,000 new claims every month. http://www.vawatchdo.../nf090110-6.htm

OK , thats from the Secretarys own mouth. Now we see in ArmyTimes http://www.armytimes...acklog-021411w/ that the backlog is 783,000. We also see that in the watchdog.org article that claims average for decision , good or bad is 160 days. Its not hard to see that the math does not work and that the backlog is HUGE. Where did all the numbers go. Its not getting better, its getting worse as most of us have seen or experienced. Yes , its true that the roughly 3500 new adjudicators are also working on the AO cases since the new IHD presumptive were added this past fall, but not 300,000 to 400,000 less claims being adjudicated. This is really misleading and getting out of hand. Whether the VA is not counting those may be their reason for the discrepency in total numbers but it is not being added correctly, nor truthfully. The problem is still HUGE and getting worse.

Also in this week's Senate hearing , American Legion Director Tim Tetz http://www.legion.or...-claims-backlog said the way to save money and move the backlogged claims problem is to stop the C and P exams when a veteran already has a diagnosis from his VA doctors , or family doctors. AMEN. What a simple idea. Yes it would move claims and we would also have ACCURATE decisions and less BVA REMANDS. Oh yes but then comes the wonderful corruption of QTC and its billion dollar contract to assign C and P Exams. It is no wonder that CEO Princippi, past VA Secretary and Dr. Peake , a board director and another past VA Secretary himself are steering this. They are making alot of money. Unfortunately it is the veteran that looses and the Veteran is at risk again. For those of you who are mad and tired of the hamster wheel maybe by calling our Senators and Congressmen to support some type of legislation like Tim Tetz is suggesting needs to be put into a bill or law. Certainly the VA Senate and House Committee members would need to see this. Its just some thoughts I had and wanted to sound off on. I hope I did not step on someones feelings but this thing is out of control. NEVER GIVE UP. God Bless, C.C.

P.S. My hand hurts so bad

[chucknewcomb]

ok they are avergeing 97,000 new claims a month. Does anyone know the average of claims bieng completed every month.

[broncovet]

Chuck

No, I dont know how many claims they are doing each month, but statistics show the backlog is growing, so they are doing less than the ones they get in.

[john999]

No matter how many claims the VA is doing or not doing each month I don't think that affects the time frame of your individual claim.

[Teac]

No matter how many claims the VA is doing or not doing each month I don't think that affects the time frame of your individual claim.

Ahhh... I don't know about that John...

Three years ago I would have told someone that the average claim takes a year. Today I would tell someone the average claim takes two plus years... The number of claims in the system have to have some effect on the actual

processing time... otherwise why does it take twice as much time to get a claim throught the system.

Now my claim for the damage due to my eye during surgery was submitted in Dec 2008, I had a C/P exam in Jan 2010, then another C/P Dec 2010., and the decision 15 days after the last C/P, ( which was a rush decision and resulted in

an appeal). My point is that the va took twice as long to decide a claim than they did in 2008. In my case two C/P exams and they still did not address the root problem, and this even though they didn't need a C/P exam to make a decision..

Something stinks in Denmark.