MANY denied PTSD-MST claims must be reviewed: IG

[Berta]

https://www.va.gov/oig/pubs/VAOIG-17-05248-241.pdf

 

In Part:
“VBA reported that it processed approximately 12,000 claims per year over the last three years for PTSD related to MST. In FY 2017, VBA denied about 5,500 of those claims (46 percent). The review team assessed a sample of 169 MST-related claims that VBA staff denied from April 2017 through September 2017 (the review period). The review team found that VBA staff did not properly process veterans’ denied MST-related claims in 82 of 169 cases. As a result, the OIG estimated that VBA staff incorrectly processed approximately 1,300 of the 2,700 MST-related claims denied during that time (49 percent).”

and
"What the OIG Recommended The OIG made six recommendations to the Under Secretary for Benefits. Recommendations included reviewing all denied MST-related claims since the beginning of FY 2017, reviewing and taking corrective action on those claims where VBA staff did not take all required steps, directing MST-related claims to a specialized group of claims processors, and making improvements to VBA’s oversight and training on the processing of MST-related claims. "

[jfrei]

I like to see the stats of how many PTSD claimants with a TBI get one listed as a symptom of their sTBI...

[Vync]

And veterans whose PTSD-MST claims which were denied prior to FY2017 are out of luck...

[Unique11128]

Berta

I thought about you when I read this earlier and before I could post it you beat me to it :). I myself am a MST survivor My claim was denied (RAMP HLR) in June 18...This is uplifting for me not only will they have to review every denied MST claim from 2016 through 2018. They now have to have a 90% accuracy rate for all MST claims...I feel that we should leave no soldier behind meaning all of the previous MST claims regardless to when your claim was denied. The claim deserves to be reviewed. May GOD help us all because we all deserve closer. 

Unique11128

 

 

 

[Berta]

They should have a 100% accuracy on ALL claims!

But to think this error rate for MST claims is so high, it is tragic.

More than anyone, a MST victim deserves closure.

I regret what you all have gone through and hopefully this review wiill turn it all around.

 

 

 

 

[Guest L]

@Berta My claim was not denied, Most know my story -

The violence/ Injuries - evidence stacked to the ceiling with NIS  reports, Sheriff reports, Court Martial transcripts, Murder trial transcripst, ongoing  Parole blocking hearings last 39 years. ....

still.... had to fight a low rated claim..... spending the next 2 years in review... should have been 70% from the start.... I should have been rated from the date I retired 1997,  Grrr - thanks for the encouragement/update.

Validation is an important component for healing. 

[Berta]

Yes it is L and this is why,to me, this IG report is devastating....I only hope they really do review the claims they mentioned in the report.