Veteran Services

The problems Veterans are facing due to

the amount ofbacklogged

claims.By David Herold

Overview

Taking an in depth look inside the Department of

Veteran’s Affairs Regional Office to investigate the cause of

so many denied claims.

It is important to note the VA’s five core values which

underscore the obligations inherent in the VA’s mission, and

they are:

Integrity Commitment Advocacy Respect Excellence

Introduction

Commitment

Now that the five core values that define the VA’s mission

have been outlined, it is time to ensure that they honor what

they have strongly defined themselves by.

The Opportunity

The opportunity is to introduce a simple solution that will

benefit the Department of Veterans Affairs as well as the

thousands of veterans who have been in dyer need of

receiving the compensation that they deserve.

The Current Situation

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2010 2011 2012 2013

Pending ClaimsBacklogged Claims

The Department of Veteran’s Affairs regional office have an incredible denial error rate. This began in 2012 when the VA and the number of back logged claims became highly scrutinized by Congress and pressure for reducing the amount of backlogged claims increased.

Key Success Factors

The key success factors for the Department of

Veterans Affairs would be:

Compensation for veterans Shorter wait time on processing claims Efficiency at the regional levels Reduce the denial error rate

Analysis of Alternatives

VA health care priority groups

No way to put veterans into priority groups without compensation claims being approved

Priority groups for compensation claims will not work

Strategic Option The strategic option that would benefit the Department of

Veterans Affairs is:

Cross train employees at the regional level with

accredited service officers who submit the compensation

claims.

Benefits and Risks of Strategic Option

Benefits

Claims would be accurately reviewed

Claims would be reviewed entirely

The waiting period for processed claims would decrease

The amount of backlogged claims would decrease

Most importantly, veterans would receive the compensation that they deserve

Benefits and Risks of Strategic Option

Risks

Claims process could slow down while cross training is implemented

Cross training could take up to six months

Final Recommendation I highly encourage to move forward with the cross

training. This can be done in very small increments to start

off with so the overall productivity, or lack there of, will not

be compromised in any way. The Department of Veterans

Affairs has always had to overcome adversity with regards

to their budget on a federal level; however, this type of

training would not put any of the regional offices, which are

state, in a financial hardship. The overwhelming amount of

denied claims due to the denial error rate is horrendous and

this is the first countermeasure to ensure efficiency.

Works CitedHickey, A. (2013). VA Expediting Claims Decisions for Veterans

Waiting a Year or More. Vantage Point. Retrieved June 11, 2014,

from http://www.blogs.va.gov/VAntage/9217/va-expediting-

claims-decisions-for-veterans-waiting-a-year-or-more/

How to Beat the Backlog. (2012, September 1). The American Legion

Magazine, 13-14.

Nuss, L. (2013, March 15). Denial of VA Disability Claims – What you

need to know. Disability Advisor RSS. Retrieved June 19, 2014, from

http://www.disabilityadvisor.gov/va-disability-claims-2/

Works CitedSwier, R. (2013, January 28). They're not Interested in Quality. .

Retrieved June 21, 2014, from

http://watchdogwire.com/florida/2013/01/28/failure-of-the-va-system-delay-deny-wait-till-i-die/