VA Fast Track process rife with gaps for possible fraud, OIG says

VA Fast Track process rife with gaps for possible fraud, OIG says
By Alice Lipowicz
Feb 24, 2012
The Veterans Affairs Department’s “Fast Track” disability claims process introduced in October 2010 is riddled with opportunities for fraud and immediate action should be taken to strengthen controls over the process, according to a new report from the Office of Inspector General.

The VA rushed the new process into place and has begun making monthly payments to claimants without verifying basic information such as the veterans’ addresses and bank accounts, Belinda Finn, assistant inspector general for audits and investigations, wrote in the Feb. 23 report.

The current Fast Track process also does not require the VA to verify whether the information submitted by physicians is authentic and unaltered, the report said.

The chief means of fraud protection under the current process is to verify information in about 100 cases per month or 1,200 a year—but those reviews only occur after payments have started and do not prevent fraud from occurring, Finn wrote.
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