VA Benefits lacking

NEWS FROM…

CHAIRMAN BOB FILNER

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON VETERANS’ AFFAIRS


For more information contact



http://veterans.house.gov

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 19, 2008

Veterans Benefit Administration in Need of Improved Training, Performance Management and Accountability


Washington, D.C. - On Thursday, September 18, 2008, John Hall (D-NY), Chairman of the House Veterans’ Affairs Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Subcommittee, held a hearing to investigate the effectiveness of training and continuing education provided to Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) employees. The Subcommittee also examined the current performance management practices of the VBA while soliciting critiques and recommendations.

“I am pleased that the American Federation of Government Employees is here today to shed light on VBAs’ training, performance management, and accountability,” stated Chairman Hall. “You are a critical link to those on the front lines working to improve outcomes for our disabled veterans. Training is not an issue that should be taken lightly. We all know the importance of good training, but effective implementation that ensures consistency and accountability can be elusive.”

Panel discussions focused on employee training and monitoring within the VBA. Topics discussed included training of new VBA employees, annual training requirements, employee performance standards, accountability, training oversight, and quality assurance. Director of Education, Workforce, and Income Security for the U.S. Government Accountability Office, Daniel Bertoni, provided the following statement regarding the needed improvements for VA’s training and performance management systems:

“Training for VA disability claims processors complies with some accepted training practices, but VA does not adequately evaluate its training and may have opportunities to improve training design and implementation. VA has a highly structured, three-phase training program for new staff and an 80-hour annual training requirement for all staff. GAO found that VA has taken steps to plan this training strategically and that its training program for new staff appears well-designed and conforms to adult learning principles. However, while VA collects some feedback on training for new staff, it does not collect feedback on all the training conducted at its regional offices. Moreover, both new and experienced staff reported problems with their training. . . . Finally, the agency does not hold claims processors accountable for meeting the annual training requirement.”


Representatives from various organizations comprised the second panel, and emphasized how the current VBA practices seem to reward productivity over quality. Michael Ratajczak of AFGE stressed that it is essential for the VBA claims processors to be properly trained in order to satisfy their dynamic and complex duties. “[I]n addition to an initial orientation, effective long-term training must be an essential component of VBA’s efforts to increase the timeliness, accuracy and consistency of claims processing. Ultimately, veterans seeking benefits are shortchanged by VBA’s failure to have effective performance standards, which reflect the complexity of claims and the demands to implement new legal requirements,” testified Mr. Ratajczak.

Some of the various recommendations that panelists proposed for the VBA included: enhancing VBA’s quality assurance and accountability program, monitoring training, aligning training and performance management systems, equipping both new and experienced staff, reconfiguring VA diagnostic codes to those used in the medical community, and conveying technical information to veterans in a manner that is well organized and easy to understand.

“It seems that veterans and their families do not always receive the benefits and services they deserve in a timely fashion, while at the same time they were willing to give everything to our Nation without hesitation,” stated Bob Filner (D-CA), Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. “Therefore, it is crucial that the VBA provides adequate training and remains accountable for each VA disability claim. Too many veterans think VA stands for Veterans Adversary. We need a complete paradigm shift at the VBA. VA should stand for Veterans Advocate!”

Michael Walcoff, Deputy Under Secretary for Benefits for the Veterans Benefits Administration, testified that “[i]t is critical that our employees receive the essential guidance, materials, and tools to enable them to learn and develop the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to be successful in their positions. To that end, VBA has deployed training tools and centralized programs to provide a consistent approach to training. . . . Along with an expanded training agenda to accommodate the hiring initiative, VBA has enhanced its training oversight methods to improve accountability. Managers at all levels are held responsible for ensuring that training goals are set and training requirements are met.”

H.R. 5892, the Veterans Disability Benefits Claims Modernization Act, passed the House of Representatives on July 31, 2008, by a vote of 492 to 0. This bill will lead to enhanced training, which will improve the processing of compensation claims and ensure more accurate claims adjudication results for our veterans and their families. Senator Clinton introduced companion legislation to this bill, S. 3419, on August 1, 2008.

Chairman Hall stated that “today’s oversight hearing confirmed my suspicion that problems still exist with the training and management at the VBA. Panelists voiced their continuing concerns with what is occurring over at the VBA. We owe it to our veterans to correct these problems.”



Witnesses:



Panel 1

Daniel Bertoni, Director of Education, Workforce, and Income Security, U.S. Government Accountability Office

Panel 2

Michael Ratajczak, Decision Review Officer, VA Cleveland Regional Office, American Federation of Government Employees
Kerry Baker, Assistant National Legislative Director, Disabled American Veterans
Ronald Abrams, Joint Executive Director, National Veterans Legal Services Program
Dr. Patricia Keenan, Program Manager, The Human Resources Research Organization
Nick Bartzis, Veteran, Cleveland Ohio

Panel 3

Michael Walcoff, Deputy Under Secretary for Benefits, Veterans Benefits Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Dorothy Mackay, Director of Employee Development and Training, Veterans Benefits Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Brad Mayes, Director of Compensation and Pension Service, Veterans Benefits Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

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Prepared testimony for the hearing and an audio recording of the hearing is available on the internet at this link: http://veterans.house.gov/hearings/hearing.aspx?NewsID=298.


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I wish this had happened a few years ago, I just got an e mail from my lawyer today stating that the DRO would be opening my file on Monday to start his review of my claims file, my claim for heart probelms was filed in November 2002 6 years later I am just getting an appeal review from the regional office so much for them getting a claim done in 6 months I wonder how long the case will take if they deny the appeal and we have to go to the Board of Veteran Appeals? I wonder if I will live long enough to see the end of this claim?

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