More Problems For Va Re: Claims

[Berta]

Tonight's H VAC hearing is going to reveal some interesting testimony about the claims backlog.
The hearing info states: Jul 14, 2014 | Hearing
Evaluation of the Process to Achieve VBA Goals
http://veterans.house.gov/legislation/hearings

But it goes further than that


At 7:30 PM on C span, so far as I know.

"Internal investigators at the Department of Veterans Affairs have told Congress that some VA workers were "cooking the books" on benefit claims by veterans to make it look like the work was being done in a more timely fashion, much like earlier charges that VA schedulers were changing dates to mask long delays in veterans getting health care appointments."

"They manipulated the numbers," Rep. Jeff Miller (R-FL) told me, "which is exactly what has happened with the backlog of health care requests."

( This is exactly what part of my 5 page letter to Cong. Miller last month revealed.And info I gave the IG last month. My main concern however was how VA has manipulated the true malpractice statistics.
It is up to every veteran here who has had problems as noted below, to tell the Committee themselves of how their claim is being mishandled by the VA.)
.
I used 2 of my own claims as documented examples, of being backlogged in total for 14 years, because the RO refused to read my medical (and legal )evidence for them as well as the fact that VA is,per IRIS, "working on" a DIC claim that I won in 1998, instead of trying to find a 1151 claim I filed in 2012 and addressing my pending CUE claim.

"In a review of work at the VA regional benefits office in Philadelphia just last month, investigators found "significant opportunities" for VA workers to "manipulate and input incorrect dates of claims in the electronic record."

In other words - it wasn't too hard to change the dates and make it look like the VA was acting quickly on veterans benefits claims.

For example, the IG found that when claims workers were trying to deal with outstanding claims, they used the date they discovered the delayed application for benefits, not the original date the claim was made."

"The review found that workers were using an electronic date stamp to record when veterans benefits claims were received - but "each claims assistant maintained a key that allowed access to the mechanism inside where they could adjust the electronic date."

In one instance, the "electronic date stamp incorrectly stamped documents with a future date," Halliday reported."

In spot checks in several VA benefit offices, investigators found more than just issues about date manipulation, saying there is evidence that sometimes veterans claims aren't acted on at all.

In Philadelphia, officials "found mail bins full of claims and associated evidence that had not been scanned into Virtual VA since 2011," Halliday will tell lawmakers.

Other possible troubles included VBA staffers "inappropriately shredding or destroying" mail, staffers hiding incoming mail, workers not dealing with over 32,000 electronic inquiries from vets about the status of their claims and evidence of improper payments."

Monday night's hearing will also feature testimony from whistleblowers at the VA; a committee spokesman said these VA workers tried to speak up about issues with veterans benefits claims, but suffered reprisals from within the system like other VA workers the panel has heard from.

"These are challenging times for VA," says Halliday of the VA's IG office.

And for lawmakers, it's another chance to lean on the VA for straight answers in a hearing after the dinner hour.

http://www.wsbradio.com/weblogs/jamie-dupree/2014/jul/14/new-charges-va-data-manipulation/

Has anyone here taken the time to put their concerns about any level of VA, in writing ,to the H VAC?

Edited July 14, 2014 by Berta

[Berta]

I just realized this says Philadelphia VARO.

My AO IHD death claim (Aug 2010)was sent from Buffalo, to Togus, lost at Togus and then I re sent it to the Nehmer division at the Philadelphia VARO.

The first decision I got (around Dec 9th 2011) was so ridiculous, I got them to CUE it and got my award in early January 2012.

How stupid do they think we are.....or is it that they really want as many claims denied as possible, to get them, off their desks.....

My AO IHD claim was denied Dec 9th, 2011 ,because they said the veteran (my deceased husband, in country-Vietnam) had no evidence of IHD in his SMRs.

I raised absolute hell on that one. AO IHD is presumptive. They cued it by December 26th. ....even before I contacted NVLSP.

Now I think that decision ,that caused me so much anger at the time, will be exquisite evidence for additional stuff I am sending the H VAC on the way , as my other letter stated,

VA has deliberately created most of the backlog themselves.

Edited July 14, 2014 by Berta

[Slowlane]

Quote from Berta: "Has anyone here taken the time to put their concerns about any level of VA, in writing ,to the H VAC?"

I have not yet........Wish I had.....Embarrassed that I have not......

Got good excuses right now..........timing being one of them.

Great work Berta.....Thank you very much.

[Berta]

More here:

and this is very upsetting:

"Other mistakes or sloppiness cited by Haliday include:

— The VA failed to follow up with veterans granted temporary 100% disability pending improvement of their physical health. Investigators estimate this has resulted in $85 million overpaid since 2012 and could mean another $370 million wasted in the next five years,"

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/07/14/va-backlog-committee-hearing-veterans/12573043/

and here:
"Last month, with typical Washington fanfare, the VA proclaimed it had made "significant progress toward our goal of eliminating the claims backlog in 2015" by reducing this backlog from 611,000 to 344,000 veterans' claims pending more than 125 days.

Although the VA's numbers appear promising, a closer look reveals a far different story: The 344,000 claims are only those that have been pending for longer than four months. The VA's total disability claim inventory is actually 1.3 million.

Among the one million claims not mentioned in the VA's press release are 275,000 claim appeals languishing for an average of four years before a VA decision. According to the Center for Investigative Reporting, as many as 19,500 veterans died while waiting on a VA claim decision in the fiscal year ending September 2012."



http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/24144-va-also-not-telling-the-truth-about-veteran-disability-claims

And the IG just released this report minutes ago:

http://www.va.gov/oig/pubs/VAOIG-13-03699-209.pdf

Edited July 14, 2014 by Berta

[hmcquade]

What a mess, amazing these people would do this to Veterans!

Hugh

[Notorious Kelly]

Berta,

Sure appreciate your well-written and documented evidence added to the pile - I think it counts for a lot!

[Stretch]

Panel 1

• Kristen Ruell, J.D., Authorization Quality Services Representative, Pension Management Center, Philadelphia Regional Office, Veterans Benefits Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
• Ronald Robinson, USA, Ret., Senior Veterans Service Representative, AFGE Local 520, Columbia Regional Office, Veterans Benefits Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
• Javier Soto, Esq., Former Rating Veterans Service Representative / Executive Vice President, Local AFGE 1594, St. Petersburg Regional Office, Veterans Benefits Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

Panel 2

• Ms. Linda Halliday, Assistant Inspector General for Audits and Evaluations, Office of Inspector General, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
• Accompanied by: Mr. Brent Arronte, Director, San Diego Benefits Inspections Division, Office of Audits and Evaluations, Office of Inspector General, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
• The Honorable Allison A. Hickey, Under Secretary for Benefits, Veterans Benefits Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
• Accompanied by: Ms. Diana Rubens, Director, Philadelphia Regional Office, Veterans Benefits Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
• and
• Mr. Thomas Murphy, Director, Compensation Service, Veterans Benefits Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
• Mr. Daniel Bertoni, Director, Education, Workforce, and Income Security, U.S. Government Accountability Office