– Stakeholders acknowledge gains from increased staff funding, yet cite need for improved training and management to help VBA tackle benefits backlog –
Washington D.C., — On September 16, 2010, John Hall (D-NY), Chair of the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs, conducted a hearing on the effectiveness of personnel training within the Veteran Benefits Administration (VBA) to address the backlog of unresolved veteran benefits claims. Representatives of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) reported improvements in both the quantity and quality of VBA’s training model, and were confident that overtime, with continued focus, pending benefit claims will begin to dramatically decrease.
“Today’s hearing is designed to examine the impact of landmark legislation passed by Congress in recent years targeted at expanding the number of and training for veterans’ benefits claims processers,” said Chairman Hall. “It is indisputable that VBA’s staff and the training they receive have increased due to recent Congressional action, however additional efforts are needed to ensure that veterans, their families, and survivors receive their just benefits in a timely and accurate manner.”
Since 2007, Congress has appropriated more than $750 million to VA to hire over 10,000 new VBA claims processers on an expedited hiring timetable. Recognizing that the claims backlog cannot be solved by brute force alone, Congress passed legislation in 2008 to equip VBA claims personnel with the training and other resources needed to perform their duties. As a result, VA recently expanded the training requirements for claims processing personnel.
According to Chairman Hall, while improvements have been made, more work is needed. “Twenty percent of the 1 million-plus disability claims processed by VA in 2009 were erroneous. The same year, 200,000 VA disability claims were delayed for four months or more before being fully processed. The VA must do a better job ensuring that its claims processors receive the right kind of training to decide veterans’ cases correctly the first time. At this point in time, it is failing to meet that standard.””
To address this issue, Congress directed the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to examine VBA’s claims processing training program. GAO confirmed VA’s reports that the agency’s training had improved, yet suggested that VA could do a better job in linking its quality-control and training resources to ensure that VBA claims processers get the right training needed in a timely manner. GAO also found significant quality improvements could be made by more closely monitoring the developmental stages in the claims process, and targeting additional training to remedy persistent staff processing errors. These critiques were echoed during the hearing by veterans stakeholders such as the American Federation of Government Employees, which represents the interests of claims processers and other VA employees.
Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki has set an ambitious goal to erase the VBA claims backlog erased by 2015 and reduce the claims process to less than 125 days.
Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Committee Bob Filner (D-CA) said, “I am encouraged by the training improvements and other reforms underway at VBA and I remain optimistic that VA, assisted by Congress, can achieve the benchmark set by Secretary Shinseki. Adjudicating claims for wounded warriors is complicated and can be extremely technical. This is why it is critical to properly train and manage claims personnel. If we continue to concentrate on these efforts, I am confident that we can fix the broken claims system so that our veterans, their families, and survivors receive the 21st Century, world-class benefits and services they deserve.”
WITNESS LIST
Panel 1
- Daniel Bertoni, Director, Education, Workforce, and Income Security, U.S. Government Accountability Office
Panel 2
- Jimmy F. Sims, Jr., RSVR and AFGE Local 1738 Steward, VBA Regional Office, Winston-Salem, North Carolina (on behalf of American Federation of Government Employees and AFGE National Veterans Affairs Council)
- Jeffrey C. Hall, Assistant National Legislative Director, Disabled American Veterans
- Meg Bartley, Senior Staff Attorney, National Veterans Legal Services Program
- David E. Hunter, Ph.D., Assistant Director, Cost Analysis and Research Division, Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA)
- Ian C. de Planque, Deputy Director, Veterans Affairs and Rehabilitation Commission, American Legion
Panel 3
- Michael Cardarelli, Acting Deputy Under Secretary for Benefits, Veterans Benefits Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Accompanied by
- Diana M. Rubens, Associate Deputy Under Secretary for Field Operations, Veterans Benefits Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
- Terence Meehan, Director of Employee Development and Training, Veterans Benefits Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
- Danny Pummill, Deputy Director for Policy and Procedures, Compensation and Pension Service, Veterans Benefits Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
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Prepared testimony and a link to the webcast of the hearing are available on the internet at this link: http://veterans.house.gov/hearings/hearing.aspx?newsid=623.
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