New claims process for some- VA Press Release

[Berta]

"

VA Unveils Claims Submission Option That Promises to Complete Claims within 30 Days WASHINGTON — Today, as part of the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) continued efforts to improve timeliness of services for Veterans and their families, VA unveiled the Decision Ready Claims (DRC) initiative, a disability claims submission option with accredited Veterans Service Organizations (VSO) that promises to deliver faster claims decisions to Veterans and their families.   “The DRC initiative is a collaborative effort between VA and VSOs to help Veterans receive faster decisions on disability claims,” said VA Secretary Dr. David J. Shulkin. “VA works closely with participating VSOs to make sure they are properly trained in this new process and given the tools they need to participate successfully in the program on behalf of the Veterans they serve.”   Veterans who choose to submit their claim under DRC can expect to receive a decision within 30 days from the time VA receives the claim. VSOs will ensure all supporting evidence — such as medical exams, military service records, etc. — is included with the claim submission. This advance preparation by the VSOs allows claims to be assigned immediately to claims processors for a quick decision.   DRC was first implemented May 1, 2017, at the St. Paul (Minn.) Regional Office, and is now available at all VA regional offices. While DRC is currently limited to claims for increased compensation  (commonly known as claims for increase), and requires Veterans to work with VSOs, VA’s goal is to expand the types of claims accepted under the initiative and allow Veterans other ways to submit their claim under DRC.   DRC is another key step in aggressively modernizing VA’s benefits delivery to Veterans in a fully digital operating environment. With electronic claims processing as a foundation, VA’s innovation will improve service to Veterans, their families, and survivors.   # # #         Keep updated & let us know how we're doing.

[jfrei]

Seriously 3 days before I had my increases put in... Still waiting as usually with a November suspense state to hold on too...

[MikeHunt]

Yes, we had a DRC briefing. Didn't like q's!!!!

 

In short, they're putting the VA's job onto VSO's. it's just plain silly- VSRs order exams all day and are good at it.

VSO's ... The main complaint here is they aren't good at what they're supposed to be doing already- not to be snarky.

Last, if you send in a DBQ on your own, the VSR will simply mark your claim 'RFD'- it'll go right to a rater- In short, why would their DRC take so long??? 30 days????

[broncovet]

It sounds like VA wants VSO's to do what they should have been doing all along.  Im guessing we will see mixed results on this...there is a wide variety on training programs for VSO's, and those with time on their schedule for new vets claims usually are "untrained".  

This said, Im skeptical about this..it sure looks a lot like the FDC program now which also has mixed results.  

[Vync]

If not for the varying quality of VSO's, this might have actually been a good idea. I have had some who were fantastic and others who could not find their way out of a wet paper bag.

For those who are fluent with VA red taps, the best approach might be to do all of the work on your own to connect all the dots and get an IMO, then hand it off to the VSO to submit. Afterwards, submit a copy of it via trackable snail mail just in case the VSO misplaced something.

[MikeHunt]

You likely won't see any results.

For a VSO to get into the weeds of what a VSR does makes it nearly impossible for someone without training and experience to schedule an exam correctly. There's multiple programs involved, and each takes getting used to- If you come back three- four weeks later, you'll forget and miss something. A VSR can just ask the group of VSRs sitting next to him on uncommon situations-

5 hours ago, broncovet said:

It sounds like VA wants VSO's to do what they should have been doing all along.

This is a really, really bad idea. Respectfully, VSOs shouldn't be doing this, they should be ensuring the VA does it's job, not doing the VA's job!!!!

The VA is a huge bureaucracy, their job is to grow their bureaucracy, not help Veterans. So when a VSO messes up that makes MORE VA work, and delays the Veteran's claim.

This does exactly that, while cutting Veteran's short.

5 hours ago, broncovet said:

looks a lot like the FDC program now which also has mixed results.  

Yes, there's a page in my notes of 'exclusions', just like FDC.

 

 

The biggest lie here is the thirty day talking point.

This 'Thirty days' is after the VA gets the completed exam, so the process takes just as long as going to the VA, because they're not including the time from VSO filing an exam request to completion!!!!!!!!

And guess when the VA will start the effective date, if the VSO doesn't ITF?