Dependency Claims (Changes In The Works)

[harleyman]

Well as some of you may know General Allison Hickey Under Secretary of the VA, has been making her rounds to many of the VA Regional Offices and conducting a few hour presentation to the VA employees about thier current work in progress and future changes.

One of the interesting changes the General informed VA employees in her recent visit are the changes currently being implemented in how the VA handles dependency claims.

Evidently, the VA is training the phone/ call center people on how to add dependents into the computer system right over the phone. Resulting in a rapid approched in adding dependents to Veteran's awards. There are some call centers that have implemented this as a satilite program in about 30% if their dependency calls. It seems to be working quite well and they are starting to make the changes at more call centers as we write, thus eliminating the majority of dependency claims, except for those where there are financial administrative issues involved and it takes a person to intervene.

The General stated she did not understand why Veteran's have to jump through so many hoops to simply add their spouse or thier child to their award. She related her experience in the military when you walked up to the window and told the pay clerk you got married or you had a child born, and they added them onto your pay right then and the next payday you had the increase on your pay check. She said our Veteran's are fully capable and be trustworthy and competent enough to tell us if they are married or have children, and there is no reason why dependency claims cannot be handled over the phone with instant computer entry.

I don't know about all of you, but I like this General, and I see some good changes in store for Veteran's in the next 1 to 3 years as VA goes paperless. Hang in there everyone I see clearer skies ahead. As I have time I will try to share more of the things that were presented by the General. By the way, we all found her to be very practical and engaging, but straight forward and she states she had a desire to get rid of the dead weight of some of the processes that were implemented through "fear" by VA, rather than in the spirit of granting benefits to disabled Veterans.

If there is something you want to see changed I will be happy to submit your ideas. (serious ideas for implmenting changes only please) :) harleyman

Edited August 24, 2013 by harleyman

[Philip Rogers]

Thanks, Harleyman, for the info. As always we appreciate all you can add to Hadit and our "general knowledge."

pr

[infantry10]

I think she may be just what the VA needs to get on the right track. Too many veterans out there having trouble financially while waiting years for a claim to process through. I guess we'll just have to wait and see what she brings to the table.

[harleyman]

She dd tell us her family and friends told her she was crazy to take on this job, as the VA was in such a terrible position at the time, they felt she may have been taking on more than she could handle and they warned her not to take the position. She elected to work for VA and help Veterans.

When she stood up in front of our group of employees and told them and I quote;,

" YOU ARE NOT JUDGES YOU ARE AJUDICATORS" and she repeated it about 3 or 4 times, and then she told the RVSRs, and I quote, "grant if you can and deny only if you must." AND REPEATED THAT ABOUT 3 TIMES.

My opinion is .....General Hickey is a power house for change, and she expect RESULTS. She did address the issues of employees being placed on PIP, (performance improvement plan), as a means to get better results and better trained employees. She approved of PIPS being implented if an employees work is substandard. She is not in favor of firing people but she is infavor of moving people to a different job that they can excel or maintain quality and performance, rather than leave them in a job they can't do. So I do expect some changes in the work product as people may be moved around a bit, Hmmm time will tell. The union is fighting this some, but the union will loose as we need people who can do the job and perform it well..

Edited August 24, 2013 by harleyman

[Motherof3]

Awesome!

[broncovet]

SSDD

Each time the VA makes new promises, I yawn and say, "How about delivering on the old promises you made and maybe then I will believe your new ones?"

We have been hearing about "positive changes" at the VA for at least 5 years, while the backlog grows and grows. Many of those "highly touted" new VA "programs" wind up being abandoned, or Vets wish they would have been dropped.

They have been shouting "grant if you can, deny if you must" also, for even longer. The truth is, you have to have all the I's dotted and all the T's crossed before you get benefits, and, even then, most of the time you have to appeal.

Vets are very, very tired of hearing promises to reduce the backlog, including dependents, where the VA is very short on delivering those promises. My dependent claim was started in 2009, they lost or shredded it, I resubmitted it in 2012, and I will still have to appeal. Thats 4 years. Hickey was in charge for at least a year of those 4, and Shinseki was in charge for all of them.

[boomer2]

I currently have a claim in for dependency which I do not understand because when I look on ebenefits it shows me married. Why can't they look at the same info.

Harleyman

Is the St petersburg RO one of the ones doing the phone thing?