Although some have praised Secretary Shinseki for his bold plans to end veteran homelessness and the VA Benefits Claims backlog, others are still very critical of the problems that continue to exist in the Department of Veterans Affairs. A recent New York Times article by James Dao highlights the growing unrest with Secretary Shinseki and the ongoing issues at the VA.
“Though the numbers have grown, delays in processing disability claims are nothing new, and neither are complaints about the backlog. Just last year, some veterans advocates tried to make the backlog a presidential campaign issue. They failed. But this year, something changed: the criticism grew louder and perhaps more partisan, and began reaching a wider audience.”
See the full story here.
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In response to the ever growing VA Disability Claims Backlog and pressure from politicians, including President Obama, the public, and the media, the VA is making a creative attempt to address this problem.
In an effort to employ a new strategy and meet Secretary Shinseki’s stated goal of ending the disability claims backlog by the end of 2015, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced its plan to transition 100 employees in the Atlanta Regional Office from education claims over to disability claims.
VA credits the new automation system it has been using for education claims with increased efficiencies. According to the VA, these efficiencies will allow the 100 workers to transition over to the disability claims side without having a negative impact on the processing of education claims.
For more information on this project, check out the VA Fact Sheet.
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By Michael Novinson
Times Herald-Record
04/27/13
KINGSTON — By year’s end, Ulster veterans who’ve fallen on tough times will have a place to temporarily call home.
A former state home in the Rondout is being renovated to serve as emergency housing for up to 10 homeless veterans. It will be the only facility between Westchester and Saratoga counties offering transitional housing for veterans.
“We have an obligation to show our appreciation for their service with meaningful action,” said Ulster County Executive Mike Hein when publicly unveiling the idea in January.
The home is large enough to serve Ulster County’s entire homeless veteran population at any given time, said Steve Massee, director of the county’s veterans services agency. Continue reading →
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The VA issued a press release today to publicize their hotline specific to anwering questions on VA Health Care and Benefits for Women Veterans. The service began accepting calls today (April 23, 2013).
The hotline number is: 1-855-VA-WOMEN (1-855-829-6636)
According to the press release, “The Department of Veterans Affairs has set up this hotline to receive and respond to questions from Veterans, their families and caregivers about the many VA services and resources available to women Veterans…Callers can be linked to information on claims, education or health care appointments as well as information about VA cemeteries and memorial benefits. Staff can answer urgent questions and provide referrals to homeless and mental health services as well as provide Vet Center information…
Women make up nearly 15 percent of today’s active duty military and 18 percent of National Guard and Reserve forces. The population of women Veterans using VA benefits including health care is growing rapidly. Since 2000, the number of women using VA health care more than doubled, from nearly 160,000 in 2000 to more than 354,000 in 2012. Based on the upward trend of women in all branches of service, the number of women Veterans—and female VA users—will keep climbing.”
The full press is available here.
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This past week, I had the opportunity to attend the 12th Judicial Conference for the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. There were many distinguished speakers who presented, including the Under Secretary for Benefits at the Department of Veterans Affairs, Retired Brig. Gen. Allison A. Hickey. Hickey was proud that the Veterans Benefits Administration was adopting some changes that she believed would help dramatically reduce the claims backlog. The changes include moving to an electronic records system, and expediting the oldest claims (many of which have been sitting for years) to address them first. Claims will also be expedited for veterans The Under Secretary also made a big push for veterans to submit fully developed claims (i.e. claims that are accompanied by reliable and medical documentation supporting the claim), stating that if veterans, vsos, accredited agents, and attorneys helped the VA do their work, they would be more efficient- they also commited to deciding these claims first. There are some additional proposed changes, most involving the use of technology, to work through claims more efficiently and hopefully more accurately.
Time will tell whether these new approaches are effective for the hundreds of thousands of disabled veterans waiting for an answer on benefits they have earned and deserve. Of course, the plan only addresses the pending claims, and not the appeals for those veterans whose cases have been poorly reviewed and decided in the first instance, and ultimately, may be sitting for far longer than the new claims. General Information on the proposed reforms is available on the VA Website Press Release Page.
More detailed information on theClaims Initiative can be found here: Claims Initiative Fact Sheet
Information on the VA expediting the oldest claims first, can be found here: VA to Expedite Claims Decisions for Veterans Who Have Waited a Year or More
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It is a great feeling to know that our work on behalf of Veterans pays off. Here is a testimonial from a veteran client:
Dear John, Kara and Angela,
I want to thank you for your help in my VA appeal.
It’s been a long wait, years actually, since I applied for compensation from the VA for my PTSD.
After being denied for an amount greater than 30%, a man that goes to my group therapy at the VA center said he had heard of Finkelstein & Partners and recommended I get in touch with you to see if you could help me.
I did contact your office and that was the best decision I’ve made.
In less than 1 year, I have received my full compensation from the VA Court of Appeals.
I owe it all to you folks. You really gave your all and I will always be grateful for your help.
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Today, the Department of Veterans Affairs is in an analogous quagmire as it struggles to provide benefits quickly to veterans of all generations. From whistleblowers to unfavorable watchdog reports to wasted money, evidence of VA dysfunction is staggering. We have been strong supporters of the department’s efforts to improve operations, but the time for good intentions is over. Veterans are not getting the service they deserve.
Read Entire Washington Post Article Here
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The veteran came to VSG seeking to appeal an unfavorable decision, which denied him an increased rating for service connection for PTSD. VSG handled the appeal of his case to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veteran’s Claims and was granted a remand. On remand, VSG submitted additional evidence in further support of his claim. On April 4, 2013, the Board issued a decision increasing the veteran’s rating for PTSD from 30% to 70% and also gave him a 100% rating for TDIU. (Total Disability Individual Unemployability), retroactive to February of 2008, which is when this particular claim originated.
The veteran served honorably in the U.S. Army from 1966-1968. He saw heavy combat in Vietnam and experienced many horrors. Upon his honorable discharge, his life was significantly and negatively impacted due to the PTSD he developed as a result of his combat experience. He sought disability assistance from the VA initially in 2005. He was awarded a 30% rating for PTSD in 2005 and applied for an increase in 2008. Despite a three-month period of hospitalization to treat his PTSD, and his VA physician’s recommendations for an increased rating, inclusive of unemployability, and, the fact that the Social Security Administration had rendered him totally disabled, the Board denied his claim for an increased rating. VSG appealed to the Court and during the pendency of the appeal, entered into a joint remand with the VA. On remand, all of this evidence was brought again to the Board’s attention, as well as additional statements from the veteran’s VA physician in support of his claim.
As a result, after a very long wait, the Board finally considered the competent evidence before it and issued a very favorable and just result for this veteran.
Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
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Veterans Affairs Backlog Files Stacked So High, They Posed Safety Risk to Staff
By:
P.J. Tobia Excerpt from PBS Newshour- The Rundown
“While researching our story on the Veterans Affairs benefits backlog, we saw this Veterans Affairs Administration Inspector General’s report that points out that at one VA center, a regional office in Winston-Salem, N.C., had so much paper that it “created an unsafe workspace for (VA) employees and appeared to have the potential to compromise the integrity of the building.”
The IG report, from August, 2012, found that at this one office alone, “37,000 claims folders were stored on top of file cabinets.” The report says that this “creates an unsafe environment for the employees, overexposes many claims folders to risk of fire/water damage, inadvertent loss and possible misplacement, as well as impedes (Veterans Affairs Regional Office) productivity by reducing access to many folders in a timely manner.”
According to the report, the sheer weight of the combined folders actually exceeded the load-bearing capacity of the building itself. Continue reading →
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The Economist
IN WAR, it is said, there are no unwounded soldiers. Bombs that shatter bones also batter brains. Even on the periphery, war afflicts men with aching joints, ringing ears and psychological damage. Imagine, then, the human damage wrought by over a decade of battle.
America does not have to. Its wounded warriors are now seeking help in record numbers. Nearly half of its 1.6m soldiers who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan have asked for disability benefits from the government. (Just 21% filed similar claims after the first Gulf war, according to estimates.) With ageing veterans of earlier conflicts also seeking more help, America’s disabled-servicemen population has increased by almost 45% since 2000. Continue reading →
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