Va Press Release On Claims Today

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Office of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs

VA to Expedite Claims Decisions for Veterans Who Have Waited a Year or More

April 19, 2013

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WASHINGTON – The Department of Veterans Affairs announced today it is implementing an initiative to expedite compensation claims decisions for Veterans who have waited one year or longer. Effective today, VA claims raters will make provisional decisions on the oldest claims in inventory, which will allow Veterans to begin collecting compensation benefits more quickly, if eligible. Veterans will be able to submit additional evidence for consideration a full year after the provisional rating, before VA issues a final decision.

“Too many Veterans wait too long for a decision, and this has never been acceptable,” said VA Secretary Eric Shinseki. “That is why we are implementing an aggressive plan to eliminate the backlog in 2015. This initiative is the right thing to do now for Veterans who have waited the longest.”

Provisional decisions will be based on all evidence provided to date by the Veteran or obtained on their behalf by VA. If a VA medical examination is needed to decide the claim, it will be ordered and expedited.

“Issuing provisional decisions not only provides Veterans with applicable benefits much more quickly, but also gives them an additional one-year safety net to submit further evidence should it become available. Our door will remain open and if a Veteran has additional evidence, their case will be fast tracked,” said Allison Hickey, Undersecretary for Benefits.

If any increase is determined to be warranted based on the additional evidence received, benefits will be retroactive to the date the claim was initially filed. The initiative protects the Veteran’s right to appeal the decision. If no further evidence is received within that year, VBA will inform the Veteran that their rating is final and provide information on the standard appeals process, which can be found at http://www.bva.va.gov/

Throughout this initiative, VA will continue to prioritize claims for homeless Veterans and those claiming financial hardship, the terminally ill, former Prisoners of War, Medal of Honor recipients, and Veterans filing Fully Developed Claims. More information about filing Fully Developed Claims is available at: http://www.benefits.va.gov/transformation/fastclaims/

Claims for Wounded Warriors separating from the military for medical reasons will continue to be handled separately and on a priority basis with the Department of Defense through the Integrated Disability Evaluation System (IDES). Wounded Warriors separating through IDES currently receive VA compensation benefits in an average of 61 days following their separation from service.

As a result of this initiative, metrics used to track benefits claims will experience significant fluctuations. The focus on processing the oldest claims will cause the overall measure of the average length of time to complete a claim - currently 286 days - to skew, rising significantly in the near term because of the number of old claims that will be completed. Over time, as the backlog of oldest claims is cleared and more of the incoming claims are processed electronically through VA’s new paperless processing system, VA’s average time to complete claims will significantly improve. In addition, the average days pending metric - or the average age of a claim in the inventory - will decrease, since the oldest claims will no longer be part of the inventory.

While compensation claims are pending, eligible Veterans are able to receive healthcare and other benefits from VA. Veterans who have served in recent conflicts are eligible for 5 years of free healthcare from VA. Currently, over 55% of returning Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans are using VA health care, a rate of utilization greater than previous generations of Veterans.

Veterans can learn more about disability benefits on the joint Department of Defense—VA web portal eBenefits at: https://www.ebenefits.va.gov/ebenefits-portal/ebenefits.portal.

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[broncovet]

Uncle Eric "Spin" sky is at it again. This is his method of handling the pressure. Spin. Pure SPIN. I dont call him Eric Spinsky for nothing. Him and Allison Huckster. (Hickey) She "spins" Spinsky VA crapola into Fast letters. The result of all this? More Dead Trees. That is all.

[meghp0405]

I have been doing dependency claims on a VA FM 21-686c. I was told to start adding a VA FM 21-526ez, and on the line for disability just put dependency claim. The VARO in Louisville, Ky are working the dependency claim as a FDC.

Again, this brings out what many of us have been saying for a long time, and that is there is no consistency between the VARO's

[FormerMember]

Draw a picture of a python swallowing hundreds of frogs. Put big lumps in the middle. This is the VA right now. All they are doing is swallowing faster (denying faster) to eliminate what's in front of them. There is no plan to fix this. Public opinion demands they do something-anything. Obama has already told Eric this is getting to be a political liability. USB Hickey just can't bring herself to approve these and do an audit later. Thus we'll have rapid denials with the same 40% accuracy rate until the perceived backlog diminishes. Strike that. The accuracy will diminish exponentially. The lump will reappear at the BVA because all you smart Vets will appeal these outlandish denials. We still have the same number of VLJs at the BVA (60). They, in turn, will be even more overwhelmed as if they weren't already. Their schedule currently is one decision per day.. Certifications (Form 8s) of appeals will just pile up at the VAROs in ever-greater numbers awaiting transmittal to DC. Nothing has changed except that denials will be sooner rather than later. There won't be an appreciable change. VA cannot change from within. They simply don't know how. This is a classic example of yet a new ploy to assuage Congress. When it falls flat like a cheap souffle, VA will come up with yet a new plan or a new scapegoat. They always do.

[AFButch]

I just scanned through the Success Stories. Not seeing any PROVISIONAL claims discussed. That interview clarifying said that they are making progress with backlogged cases. Wondering if just that none provisionally approved are Hadit followers????

[AFButch]

I received an email today, 4/24/2013, from a "PUBLIC CONTACT/OUTREACH SPECIALIST" from the Portland, OR Regional office. I am pasting his little "love note" to me:

Mr. Butcher,

There has been a change in policy within VA. We have been directed to work only claims that are two years old or older from now to July. I am staying on top of your claim and will let you know if anything happens with it before July.

So, all claims within the two year period are on hold until July. I have a dependent claim that is now over a year and has been in the decision made, waiting approval for over 6 months. What is that maybe 2 clicks from issuing my money? The wheel that squeaks gets the oil and the bad publicity in recent news got the whole can! So while they get rid of the backlog in the highlight, mine and others sit building another backlog just not known to the public record. This makes NO sense to me. Oh, I will eventually get this money but this is so darn frustrating. July will make my simple claim to add my wife to a claim that was settled last March 18 months in the processing. I have no idea what time frame those with initial claims can expect.

Wishing peace of settlement for all those in that over 2 year status and I do not wish to discount their frustration. It just seems something could have been done to continue processing current claims as well.

There has been some recent change on my dependency claim (5/17/2013)! So they are working on them! It surprised even the Outreach Specialist who has been most helpful to me. Not sure exactly what it means but evidentially the Rater had to return "the letter" back to the developer for correction. The letter is one that explains what the VA did on this claim. I am now told that once the letter is corrected it will return to the Rater for approval and that a decision has been made on the claim. Still have to wonder because it has been in the Decision Waiting Approval phase for over 7 months now. I was not given a specific time line or time frame to expect BUT ebenefits project that this phase will be completed as early as next week with a claim completion as early as the end of June. I have seen those dates change at least twice so although I am cautiously optimist, I know better than to apply too much credit to the dates ebenefits now has posted. BUT, the important thing here is that I need to amend previous statements that NO dependent claims will be worked on until acceptable dent in the backlog has been achieved.

[AFButch]

There has been some recent change on my dependency claim (5/17/2013)! So they are working on them! It surprised even the Outreach Specialist who has been most helpful to me. Not sure exactly what it means but evidentially the Rater had to return "the letter" back to the developer for correction. The letter is one that explains what the VA did on this claim. I am now told that once the letter is corrected it will return to the Rater for approval and that a decision has been made on the claim. Still have to wonder because it has been in the Decision Waiting Approval phase for over 7 months now. I was not given a specific time line or time frame to expect BUT ebenefits project that this phase will be completed as early as next week with a claim completion as early as the end of June. I have seen those dates change at least twice so although I am cautiously optimist, I know better than to apply too much credit to the dates ebenefits now has posted. BUT, the important thing here is that I need to amend previous statements that NO dependent claims will be worked on until acceptable dent in the backlog has been achieved.

The email I received from the Outreach Specialist: It means a decision on your dependency claim was made. The notification letter detailing what actions VA took needs correction before the claim can be authorized. Once its corrected and the decision is authorized, you will receive your notification letter.