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

[Slowlane]

I think it's CSPAN2 at 8:30 eastern

[Navy04]

Berta, great info as usual, because of info like this, I am so scared to submit for my 100% VA to be P&T. We are all just so used to getting the kick in the butt and head when we are down.

[Pete53]

I have commented to the Committee and have not received a by your leave or reply even an acknowledgement that they got it.

[justrluk]

I posted some links to the news of the hearing and other issues in another post: