Must View By All Vets. Paperless Veterans Affairs Will Be Impossible Even In 10 Years.

[Capt.]

Hello All,

(There may be a long pause before the hearings begin so you may use your cursor to get it to the start of both of these)

Ok......here is the law of the jungle and thats the way the cookie crumbles ,,,,,please watch the House Veterans Committee hearing and listen to the 2 hour and 40 Minute mark where the Director of the National Archives and Records , Mr. Bosanko's testimony. HVAC hearings from Dec 6, 2012.

Also please look at the June 19 2012 hearings with Undersecretary Hickey and close attention to the backlog and this paperless myth dream. Also watch Congressman Filners amazement.

Mr. Bosanko testifys that under question from Congressman Filner and others that ........

They have 3000 current employees.

There are about 60 employees that were scanning documents

There are between 600 million and 1 billion pieces of documents for Veterans transfer to "paperless".

The cost has run somewhere between 150 -186 million dollars and something like 10 million dollars for their part.

NARA,,National Archives and Records Administration has current contracts with the DOD.

NARA has an agreement for work with the Veterans Benefits Administration to scan records into VBA and Veterans Benefits Management Services. BUT they will not be under one program but 2 separate ones...one for DOD and one for VA.

General Eric Shenseki has promised to "break the back of the backlog" by 2015.

Now enter the Office of the Inspector General and the "Review of Transition to a Paperless Claims Processing Environment" Report dated just a couple of weeks ago Feb 4 , 2013 is on line at here for our folks to review......

http://www.va.gov/oig/pubs/VAOIG-11-04376-81.pdf

Now if you review this report and the testimony and questions from Congressman Filner on how many Employees would be needed to get the job done by 2015 and Mr. Basankos testimony from the hearing Dec 6, 2012 would be

4000 employees ......4 0 0 0 .....four thousand.... from 60 to 4000...where and how much is this going to cost???

So it means that we are now looking at some real problems

There is no contract or decision by VA to increase personnel,

We cannot get to the 2015 goal according to OIG report.

The DOD records are separate than the new VA records..... 2 different sets of records and more contract problems due when contract expires AGAIN in July 2013.

The pilot programs presently being used to scan to a paperless VA only involve 5 Regional Offices.

The National Archives and Records Admin HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH ANY CLAIMS DECISIONS as the testimony says.

Sooooooooo folks the Veterans Benefits Administration and the Regional Offices will not be online to ALL Regional Offices and will not have the records necessary for a "Paperless" decision from the Regional Offices anytime in the near future...

Soooooooo what does this mean for the backlog???? How can the decision process be made for initial decisions, NODs or Appeals process.......with only a few ROs handling it???

And we have not even had a discussion for the BVA process of the "Paperless" segment of records for their decision reviews by Mrs Hallidays BVA Director of some sort,,, testimony for the California ROs are full of errors.

I can go on but it only makes me sick to my stomach to see this. WIth no answers in sight.

We also now find out that the actual number of claims has dramatically been increased and the backlog is now running from 2-3 years and BVA appeals are 3-5 years....but there are a few ,,,,very few Fully Developed Claims that have been awarded at under 9 months.

We also find out the suicide rate now among our Veterans has jumped from 13 in 2011 and 2012 to .....22 per day..... and that does not count California or Texas which have the 2 largest Veterans Populations. So is there any relationship to the suicide rate and the claims backlog and appeals process????? Without a doubt.

http://www.va.gov/opa/docs/Suicide-Data-Report-2012-final.pdf

I have been involved with much research and study with VA and claims figures for about 10 years and over 6 years here on Hadit but I have never seen anything so discusting , so frustrating , so broken as the VA, our Veterans care and claims issues as what we as a country and as a group are seeing now. It is the worst since I started tracking and keeping records and dealing with other Vets.

This is going to make all of us that care and to try and get our fellow Veterans help and those coming into the system of this thing we call the VA to realize more than ever that a Veteran can ........NEVER GIVE UP. God Bless, C.C.

Edited February 24, 2013 by Capt.Contaminate

[Capt.]

Hello Megh...... I just wish that all VSOs could be like you. You are a diamond in a sea of coal..... Thank you for all you do. NEVER GIVE UP. God Bless, C.C.

Edited March 4, 2013 by Capt.Contaminate

[Chuck75]

1. Only part of the VA's "paperless system" is marginally functional at this time.

2. I doubt that the records are and will be scanned "properly". By this I mean that a paper document has at least two

scanned versions - an actual image of the document (picture in digital format), and a text scanned and converted version.

A third document form (manually generated) can be required when the text scanned and converted document is not accurate or complete.

3. Almost two decades ago, DOD and the USAF started to digitize procurement related documents.

The efforts were mainly related to specifications and technical drawings, many of which were originally stored on Microfiche.

Let's just say that it was a monumental effort, required magnitudes higher man hours than originally planned, and so forth.

If the VA follows "lessons learned" (something that they often don't do very well) it may take ten years to get the whole system up and running.

Otherwise, I and most of the Vietnam veterans now living will be long gone before our records even hit the scanners.

[indyman]

My hats off to you Megh. When I called the SSA today I told them all medical treatment for both service connected and non service connected were done by the VA. He seemed releived, and I have a tentative appointment arranged for late March. The way it was explained to me, the SSA will obtain the medical info needed from the VA, and then I take the physical I guess. I have completed my C&P and its on its 34 day. I have heard 30-90 days after C&P. I had several issues that arose during C&P, ie foot drop, worsened bi lateral lower PN, and moderal upper PN. Its nice to see a VSO who is a volunteer and is there to help the veteran, and not there to collect a pay check. The only time I hear from my SO, is a donation. Yes, I am a little bitter. I have gone through more VSO's than my afo's have gone through pants. Thanks for the info, I may reconsider and delay my SSDI appt.

[indyman]

Chuck 75. Ditto.

[meghp0405]

CC,

I have been doing fully developed claims for the past 2 years. Every single one of them have been adjudicated within 90 days. The fastest FDC that I seen is 8 days. yes 8 days. The claim was for one disability and had all medical documentation in support of his claim.

Some fully developed claims submitted by a retiree take about an additional 4-5 weeks if they have been awarded 50% or greater by the VA. The reason is that finance has to caculate the CRDP. I foresee this going away after this year as this is the last year for the phasing in the CRDP program. Effective 1-1-2014 all veterans that retired will receive their full retirement and their award from VA.

I as many other VSO's in this area are of the same belief that the paperless "tactic" is a farst. This is the only thing that is keeping the VA Secretary's head afloat (I believe). There needs to be new leadership within this department, and fast!

Take care...

[Notorious Kelly]

Not to get off topic, but I see the primary advice for those filing claims is to file immediately to preserve effective date, then develop & submit the evidence later.

I wonder if this is more harm than good as in if a Fully Developed Claim is approved much faster- who wouldn't give up a month or more in pay to not wait much longer?