More than two years after congressional auditors scored it as a problem, the Department of Veterans Affairs still has no way to assess whether its 57 regional offices are consistent in deciding disability claims for veterans suffering from the same type and severity of impairment.
The Government Accountability Office, in recent briefings for two House subcommittees, said “the VA cannot provide reasonable assurance that similarly situated veterans who submit claims for the same impairment to different regional offices receive reasonably consistent decisions.”
In other words, where veterans file disability claims could affect how those veterans’ disabilities are assessed and how they are compensated.
The report urged the VA to use data collected through a newly implemented information system called RBA 2000 to identify indications of inconsistencies among regional offices in award and denial of benefits. Then, where inconsistency appears to exist for specific impairments, VA should conduct systematic studies of claim decisions for the specific ailments. The auditors indicated this process could take several years.
The GAO said it first raised the issue in an August 2002 report. Though the “VA acknowledges that veterans are concerned about consistency, VA has not taken any action to assess consistency,” the report said.
This fiscal year, Veterans Affairs will pay $25 billion in disability compensation to 2.7 million disabled veterans. The agency regularly audits the overall accuracy of disability decisions. But those reviews don’t measure the consistency of claim decisions overall or for specific impairments.
Randy Reese, national service director for Disabled American Veterans, said individual veterans can only guess whether they have been treated equitably by the claim adjudicators in comparison to their peers elsewhere. The greatest inconsistencies occur with mental disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder, he added.
Inconsistency in decision-making over stress disorders is of particular concern with so many soldiers and Marines exposed to trauma in Iraq. Mental health experts estimate that 15 percent to 17 percent of personnel serving tours in Iraq will return with symptoms of post-traumatic stress.
Through June, of 195,000 separated veterans who had served in Iraq or Afghanistan, 16 percent – almost 30,300 – sought health care from Veterans Affairs for a range of medical and psychological ailments.
Nineteen percent of hospitalizations and outpatient visits involved care for mental disorders. More common ailments, however, were musculoskeletal, diseases of the nervous or digestive systems, and dental problems.
Reese said VA officials are very aware of the inconsistency issue. Two recent Veterans Affairs task forces, one of which Reese served on, recommended corrective steps. However, VA officials said none will take effect for a few more years.
To comment, write Military Update, P.O. Box 231111, Centreville, VA, 20120-1111, e-mail milupdate@aol.com or go to www.militaryupdate.com.
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