BVA Changes ,faster decisions

[Berta]

"Strengthened by innovative tools, VA recently issued a record number of decisions for Veterans appealing their disability benefits claims.

As of July 11, VA’s Board of Veterans’ Appeals has issued more than 64,025 decisions for fiscal year 2018, a record high tied to several efficiency innovations, including a new interactive decision template and a specialty case team, which have allowed the Board to serve more Veterans.

“Decisions made by the Board affect Veterans’ lives and it’s up to VA to keep improving this process,” said VA Acting Secretary Peter O’Rourke. “We will continue to innovate throughout VA even while employing the new tools that are already making the process better for service to Veterans.”

Some examples of those important decisions made by the Board include:

• Collaborating with the Veterans Benefits Administration, within 24 hours of a Board hearing, to begin disbursement of nearly $50,000 in benefits to a homeless widow of a retired Veteran;
• Saving a Veteran from foreclosure due to quick action from VBA, the Board, and a local Veterans Service Organization; and
• Ensuring that a terminally ill Veteran on life support received qualifying benefits quickly after the Board was able to draft, issue and dispatch a decision-granting benefits expeditiously.

“Our goal is to provide answers to Veterans and their families,” said Chairman Cheryl L. Mason, Board of Veterans’ Appeals. “We will continue to do so as expeditiously as possible with improved customer service while employing every efficiency.”

The mission of VA’s Board of Veterans’ Appeals is to conduct hearings and deliver decisions on appeals in a timely manner. Final decisions on such appeals are made by the Board based on all of the evidence, including the Veteran’s medical records, and consideration of applicable provisions of law and regulation.

For more information about the Veterans appeals process, visit www.bva.va.gov/."

https://www.blogs.va.gov/VAntage/50455/vas-board-veterans-appeals-using-innovative-tools-make-record-number-decisions/

 

Also, this is of interest as well to any vet with a claim at the BVA :

http://www.connectingvets.com/articles/new-va-tool-lets-veterans-track-appeals-timing

Also -last night on the radio show someone- maybe Jbasser- said the VA is changing- and it certainly is-

they got rid  of some VBA people before Wilkie formally comes in.

I think, more than anything, the willingness of veterans to call the WH Hot Line with any reasonable gripe- (I bet they all are reasonable) has, I am sure, affected the VA.

As James Cripps said last night- if you dont get a response, call back-I am waiting one more week for a response to my complaint.

White House Veterans Hot Line  1-855-948-2311

 

 

 

 

 

[Vync]

Notice how they tout working X number of appeals, but never include metrics showing how many resulted in approval, denial, or remand?

In the end, it sounds promising.

Now they just need an appeal estimate tool for RO level.

[broncovet]

Calling the white house is better than the old "Ask Bob" emails, where we could email the VASEC.  

However, we still need someone at each VARO as a trouble shooter.  I still remember telling my doc at the VA that I was about to become homeless in 2004, and nobody seemed to be phased about that.  I also wrote my VARO..at that time.  They responded by denying my claim, so I appealed, and I "won" a zero percent rating.  The end result was the VARO and VA jerked me around until I lost my home through benefit delays.  

I finally filed a "writ of mandamus" and got the VARO off their duffs.  They know I mean business now.  My problem was I listed to my VSO who told me stuff like, "Oh, dont appeal a zero percent rating..you got your foot in the door and can ask for an increase".

Or, "Oh, 3 years isnt a long time..be patient".