SOURCE: veterans.house.gov
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE . . .
VBA Announces Plan To Change Employee Performance Standards And Procedures On Work Credit And Management Systems
Washington, D.C., May 6, 2010 . . . On May 6, 2010, John Hall (D-NY), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs, conducted a hearing to examine the effectiveness of the Veterans Benefits Administration’s (VBA) employer work credit and management systems in processing compensation and pension claims and appeals. Responding to repeated calls from Congress and veterans stakeholders, VBA announced plans to take new steps to incentivize both quality and timely work by its benefit claims staff. This announcement comes ahead of a report on the benefit claim process to be released by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
This report on the VBA work credit and management systems was mandated last Congress by provisions of legislation sponsored by Chairman Hall, H.R. 5892, the Veterans Disability Benefits Claims Modernization Act, which were later incorporated into Public Law 110-389. Specifically, Congress directed VA to conduct an independent study of VBA’s employee work credit and management systems to identify how to eliminate delays and errors in the claims process. VA was also required to submit to Congress a report on the study’s findings by October 31, 2009.
“I hope the VBA as finally gotten the message from veterans groups that their work credit system produces bad outcomes for veterans. The VBA needs to reengineer from the ground up how it incentivizes employees to make absolutely sure claims are decided correctly the first time,” said Chairman Hall. “I am not sure the new guidelines announced by VBA are sufficient, and I look forward to the VA promptly delivering the congressionally mandated report on work credit and management systems. Congress and our veterans have waited long enough.” Hall gave VBA seven days to transmit the report to Congress.
In 2009, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) received more than 1,000,000 claims for disability benefits, representing a 14 percent increase in workload from last year. The number of claims for compensation and pension benefits is expected to increase given the ongoing military conflicts and increasingly aging population of America’s veterans. Compensation and pension programs accounted for 43.8% of VA’s $104.7 billion budget for FY 2009.
VBA’s past employee performance standards for its claims processing staff have long focused on timeliness goals in pursuit of work credits. VBA claims processors are required to earn a fixed number of production credits per day, likely creating a built-in incentive to work quickly. Since this system rewards regional offices for the gross amount of work they report, not whether the work is done accurately or correctly, many veterans’ claims are being prematurely adjudicated.
Another focus of the hearing was the VBA’s work management system, the Claims Process Improvement Model, which promotes specialization as a way to improve quality and timeliness. While this model allows employees with expertise in fixed process areas to develop selected claims, veterans’ stakeholders such as the American Federation of Government Employees argues that this system lacks uniformity and can result in inconsistent ratings among veterans. Veterans of Foreign Wars suggested that the rating claims processing times could be improved by linking workload management plans to VBA overall timeliness targets and goals.
Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Committee, Bob Filner (D-CA) said, “Veterans, their families and survivors deserve a benefits delivery system that reflects the selfless sacrifices of those it serves. VBA has acknowledged the need to reform it employee and work product management systems and today’s announcement about new claim production standards is a first step towards what I hope is bold and meaningful action. It is critical that VA fully implements the recommended changes that Congress and veteran stakeholders have long demanded. It is essential that America’s veterans have access to a benefits claims process that ensures quality and accuracy.”