Thousands of veterans across the country faced delays in getting their disability claims processed by the Department of Veterans Affairs, with some delays spanning several years, the agency revealed.
The delays affected claims which were submitted online as far back as 2018. The issue is being blamed on a technical problem arising from the integration of systems on the Veterans Affairs website. “Specifically, these claims were not automatically routed for processing once submitted, leading to a delay for these veterans,” Terrence Hayes, VA press secretary, said in a statement to NewsNation.
The delays, which have affected around 32,000 veterans, impacted roughly 0.5 percent of all claims submitted, he added.
“Shortly after” the glitch was identified, the VA implemented a solution in February this year, Mr. Hayes stated. The department has identified all the affected veterans.
“We are processing these claims with the utmost urgency, and we will ensure that the effective date for every one of these veterans is preserved,” the press secretary said.
As such, if a veteran whose disability claims were delayed due to technical issues is now approved for the claim, the benefits they receive could be backdated to the original date when they filed for it.
The department is now working out a new method to transfer delayed claims to the correct system so that they can be processed.
“We deeply apologize to these veterans for the delay, and we will ensure they receive the benefits they’ve earned as quickly as possible,” Mr. Hayes said.
“We will also continue to review our technology, processes, and systems to prevent such technical issues from impacting veterans in the future.”
The Department of Veterans Affairs’ disability claims processing came under scrutiny last year during an investigation by its Office of Inspector General (OIG), which found inefficiencies in conducting such activities.
When a veteran files for a disability claim, medical opinion requests can be critical in determining whether such claims are approved.
The review “estimated that 27,900 of 41,100 requests (68 percent) did not follow required procedures during the review period (October 1, 2020–September 30, 2021),” the OIG said in a report in September.
“Claims processors did not consistently identify relevant medical evidence for the examiner’s review, did not always use clear and accurate language, did not regularly request all warranted medical opinions, and sometimes requested unnecessary medical opinions.”
IT Infrastructure Issues
The VA has long faced challenges with regard to its aging IT infrastructure. This year alone, multiple issues have plagued operations.In April, the department was forced to halt the launch of its electronic health records system at the VA Saginaw, Michigan, healthcare facility due to technical issues.
The electronic health records system was earlier launched at various other facilities. However, medical providers complained that using the system was too challenging. It is also blamed for causing patient care delays and risking their lives.
Back in November, lawmakers had raised concerns that the system’s complexity may have led to the deaths of two veterans.
A review by the department as well as the Government Accountability Office discovered hundreds of issues plaguing the system.
Earlier this month, the VA faced another problem. Many veterans could not file retroactive disability compensation claims under the PACT Act due to technical errors in the online filing portal. Around 20 percent of the applicants had received error messages.
The recent admission that disability claims of 32,000 veterans were delayed for multiple years adds to the woes facing the IT infrastructure at the VA.
The agency has sent letters to veterans notifying them of the error—assuring them that a review is being conducted and that they are not required to take any further action.
Filing Veterans Disability Claims
According to the Veterans Affairs department, a qualifying veteran can claim monthly disability benefits if their current physical or mental illness or injury was caused by or made worse while they were on active duty or training.The veteran needs to prepare sufficient evidence to support their disability claim, including a list of documents proving their disability.
The time taken by the VA department to review a disability claim depends on factors like how many injuries or disabilities a veteran is claiming, the complexity of such disabilities, and how long the agency will take to collect evidence to make a decision on the claim.
In July 2023, the average number of days the VA department took to complete disability-related claims came in at 104.1 days per claim.
After a claim is filed, the department will first notify the veteran of receiving the claim. The agency will do an initial review. Then, the department will collect evidence from healthcare providers, government agencies, and other sources; review the evidence; and finally make a decision.
Veterans who disagree with the department’s decision on a claim dated on or after Feb. 19, 2019, can either file a supplemental claim in case they have new evidence, ask for a higher-level review of their case, or appeal to the Board of Veterans’ Appeals and get a Veterans Law Judge to review the claim.
