American Legion shines light on how claims are pushed away

“Body-count” Processing Must End at VA, Says The American Legion
National Commander Calls for Urgent Changes in Claims System

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--An immediate overhaul of the Department of Veterans Affairs disability claims processing system is the only way out of a fast-growing nationwide backlog of unresolved cases, American Legion National Commander David K. Rehbein said after a congressional hearing last Thursday evening.

“As the backlog of claims approaches 1 million, and the needs of deserving veterans go unmet, VA can wait no longer to institute new and workable policies and procedures,” the leader of the nation’s largest veterans service organization said following a House Veterans Affairs subcommittee session on the problem.

Lawmakers heard compelling testimony from American Legion member David Bohan, a Gulf War Army combat veteran from Oregon who suffered service-connected permanent damage to his left foot as well as post-traumatic stress disorder. His disability claim is one of hundreds of thousands caught up in the VA backlog. Bohan’s story is among those highlighted in an extensive, three-part series of articles that debuted in the June issue of The American Legion Magazine.

The scope of the VA claims backlog problem and some potential solutions were detailed to subcommittee members by Ian dePlanque, assistant director of The American Legion’s Veterans Affairs and Rehabilitation Commission.

The VA’s so-called work-credit system, which awards a claims processor credit in “body-count” fashion for completion of a job even if errors occur, was criticized by The American Legion representative.

“To count work credit the same whether it is performed properly, or whether details are overlooked encourages corners to be cut,” dePlanque said. “In the past, it has been proposed that VA count work credit when a claim reaches a final decision. In that manner, the encouragement will be to perform every aspect of the claim correctly, as appeals over missed technical details will only hamper the process and create lengthy delays in the claims process.”
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Processing Must End at VA, Says The American Legion