Broken System

[jamescripps2]

Veterans' claims are mired in backlog

It now takes VA six months on average for each demand

4:57 AM, Apr. 7, 2011 | 6Comments

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Written by

Gregg Zoroya

USA TODAY Filed Under

News

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WASHINGTON — The number of veterans' disability claims taking more than four months to complete has doubled, prompting criticism from veterans and Congress that the Department of Veterans Affairs failed to prepare for a rise in cases it knew was coming.

"Without question, I believe that the VA disability claims system is broken," Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., chairwoman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, said Wednesday.

The number of claims that take more than 125 days to decide has gone from 200,000 a year ago to 450,000 today, according to administration budget documents. As a result, veterans must wait even longer to receive payments for disabilities.

The VA says the delays are due in part to a generation of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans with more complex claims, and a decision two years ago to expand compensation for Agent Orange-related illnesses. Claims also increase in a poor economy.

VA is criticized

But veterans groups and Murray say the VA was aware that claims would rise.

"The explosion in the claims backlog is another predictable, preventable insult to thousands of veterans of all generations," said Paul Rieckhoff of Iraq & Afghanistan Veterans of America.

It now takes the VA six months on average to process each compensation demand for illnesses or injuries.

And the delay will reach an eight-month average next year, according to documents.

The VA says it has added staff and expanded automated record keeping but is dealing with an unprecedented amount of work.

"I think the disability determination system does not deliver decisions in as timely and uncomplicated a manner as people would like," said Tom Pamperin, a VA undersecretary for policy.

VA Secretary Eric Shinseki predicted an increase in 2009 when he expanded the number of illnesses that could be linked to Agent Orange.

The total number of pending claims for compensation has grown from 448,000 last April to 756,000 today.

"The VA knew that more Agent Orange claims would be coming in, but the claims have still overwhelmed the new caseworkers that Congress provided funding to hire," Murray said during a confirmation hearing for a new VA benefits chief.

Processors added

The VA added 3,000 claims processors last year, for a total of 14,000, but Pamperin says the work has been more labor-intensive than expected.

"We are working with a relatively inexperienced workforce. They make mistakes," he said.

Murray described a visit to a Seattle claims office where it took nine months to process a claim from a terminally ill veteran.

He died three days before the case was resolved, she said.

[Pete53]

In June I will have 20 years in the VA system. Its better in some ways but it still sucks how long Veterans have to wait. So I can opine that the VA has been broken for 20 years at least and my real opinion is that it probably has not worked as it should since day one.

[Berta]

The VA started the backlog itself-

because they failed to honor the Veterans Claims Assistance Act of 2000,in thousands of cases that ended up at the BVA,only to be remanded due to VCAA violations.

It still gets me to realize that NO one (to include the Director) of my former POA would support me when I told them the VA had sent me a VCAA letter that was deficient in every respect.

They would do nothing to support my position and this is why my last claim took 7 years.

I was one of thousands at the BVA with a VCAA letter so poorly prepared that there was no way to understand what evidence the VA needed.They sent me the generic form without any statements whatsoever that could be compliant with the VCAA.

In my case I mitigated the damage with evidence. But the RO refused to read it, saying I had not complied with the VCAA letter- (which was NOT a VCAA letter in any way shape or form).

My point is this is only one way the VA caused the backlog and they were totally unprepared for the influx of so many new claims.

VCAA remands at the BVA have slowed down considerably yet many of those claims-held up for years- are still in the system.

[john999]

The VA blames veterans for the backlog. That is a sad commentary. You do your duty and get kicked in the privates. Hooray for Uncle Sam.