Systemic Issues Reported During Inspections At Va Regional Offices

[allan]

Systemic Issues Reported During Inspections at VA Regional Offices

http://www.scribd.com/doc/55796796/VAOIG-11-00510-167

[Chuck75]

To me, the overriding issue actually involves far more in terms of time and money than a limited number of excessive awards.

The VA can and does go to extremes in determining that current VA administrative practices can result in improper compensation payments that are in excess of what should have been paid.

Where are comparable efforts, investigations, and results that show underpayment, or non payment (denials) of valid claims?

(What investigations, since it's not in the VA's self interest to develop or promulgate such data!)

What efforts are made to correct underpayment, incorrect denials not in accordance with law, or other things, such as inadequate and self serving C&P exam results intended to minimize claims and awards?

I might go on for pages!

[john999]

Chuck

All the things you mention are put on the back of the disabled vet or spouse to resolve. Unless the vet has been reading Hadit for 5 years he/she will not know when he/she is being screwed by the VA. Then the vet has to file some kind of claim or appeal otherwise errors are never recognized by the VA.

[Testvet]

We inspected controls over NOD processing at eight VAROs. Of those, 6 VAROs (75 percent) did not timely control NODs in VACOLS. VARO staff exceeded VBA’s 7-day standard for 108 (37 percent) of 294 NODs reviewed. Staff took an average of 21 days to record the 108 disagreements into VACOLS. The VAROs nonetheless generally met VBA’s pending timeliness goal of 145 days for NOD processing. The untimely recording of NODs in VACOLS occurred because of a lack of staff training and inadequate oversight of the appeals workload. Further, one VARO did not consider this work a priority and one VARO did not utilize available electronic databases to assist in timely NOD recording. Delays in recording NODs affect the integrity of VACOLS data and misrepresent performance.

I have never even heard of anyone getting a NOD recognized and completely processed in a 145 days most of the time it is a year or more I have one going on 18 months I think these reports are just a CYA excercise for the VA

[USNDW]

I guess it would mean something ig the VAOIG actually knew what they were doing.

2 years ago I had an issue with travel pay. It took the VAOIG about 4 months to resolve the problem even after I had sent them every piece of evidence they needed, and then they even got that wrong. They told me that the VAMC Director said I wasn't eligible for travel reimbursement, therefore I wasn't? Are you freakin' kidding me. I immediately sent back a reuest for them to provide the instructions or regulations showing I was not eligible, not just because the VAMC Director said I wasn't.

They came back with a part of the Federal Register, but they skipped 2 pages in between their reasoning. So I sent the entire 4 pages to them and the VAMC Director and they eventaully apologized and sent me my travel reimbursement. What a bunch of idiots. To actually write a letter saying a Veteran was not eligible for benefits because a VA employee said so? And then sending out page 671 and 674 and leaving out 672 & 673. Made up page numbers.

I found it less than comforting that the VAOIG knows less about regulations and instructions than Veterans do, so I give their report about a zero confidence rating on a scale from 1-100.

[allan]

[What a bunch of idiots. To actually write a letter saying a Veteran was not eligible for benefits because a VA employee said so? And then sending out page 671 and 674 and leaving out 672 & 673. Made up page numbers. ]

Most likely they know the statical number of vets, that will "NEVER" check the codes to see if they have recieved all of their benefits.

United states codes

Code of federal regulations

M-Manuals

Would they try to decieve you? Well, you probably already know the answer. Think how easy it is for those with brain trauma, and other illnesses to be treated the same way and never catch on.

[chr49]

We inspected controls over NOD processing at eight VAROs. Of those, 6 VAROs (75 percent) did not timely control NODs in VACOLS. VARO staff exceeded VBA's 7-day standard for 108 (37 percent) of 294 NODs reviewed. Staff took an average of 21 days to record the 108 disagreements into VACOLS. The VAROs nonetheless generally met VBA's pending timeliness goal of 145 days for NOD processing. The untimely recording of NODs in VACOLS occurred because of a lack of staff training and inadequate oversight of the appeals workload. Further, one VARO did not consider this work a priority and one VARO did not utilize available electronic databases to assist in timely NOD recording. Delays in recording NODs affect the integrity of VACOLS data and misrepresent performance.

I have never even heard of anyone getting a NOD recognized and completely processed in a 145 days most of the time it is a year or more I have one going on 18 months I think these reports are just a CYA excercise for the VA

I agree...Filed my NOD on 8-1-10, received my letter that they'd received my NOD and request for DRO review in November 2010. Haven't heard a thing from them since then. My wife reads most everything on Hadit so I was forewarned that it would take much longer than my first NOD but I didn't think it would take forever. At this point I figure I'll be into retirement before it goes thru DRO review.