Presented by Valerie Buck, Senior Veterans Service Alliance
Beginning in 2012, VA began migrating its paper-based claim system to a paperless system. By the end of 2015, this process was mostly complete and currently it is considered fully complete. Implementation of the paperless system also involved development of a computer database called VBMS – Veterans Benefits Management System. With few exceptions, paper claims folders sometimes numbering in thousands of pages are no longer found in Regional Offices.
VA encourages all claimants to use an online application process that creates a personal file in VBMS. Any paper documents associated with a claim are sent to the claim intake service scanning center in Janesville Wisconsin to be converted into PDF documents that are then added to VBMS.
The conversion to the new system was not only intended to streamline the claim process – primarily for Disability Compensation claims – but also to trim away the huge backlog of disability claims that was approaching over 1,000,000 claims that were older than 3 months. New rules were also initiated that govern the processing of claims in the Regional Office.
In addition, an online application process was developed which is called eBenefits. Other laborsaving procedures were added such as Fully Developed Claims and Decision Ready Claims.
All of these new strategies have certainly helped the Department of Veterans Affairs handle the huge load of compensation claims, but according to Sir Isaac Newton to every action there is always a reaction. The claims process has suffered considerably and resulted in a reaction of hastily and poorly processed applications and many adverse decisions. The new process has simply shifted claims from the Regional Offices to the appeals process. Statistics show that as the backlog in Compensation claims has gone down, the number of appeals in backlog has gone up proportionately.
Valerie will discuss the various deficiencies in the new paperless system and strategies to make sure that the paperless claim doesn’t end up in an appeal. In addition, she will discuss the pitfalls that are in the current system and how to avoid them.
VA encourages all claimants to use an online application process that creates a personal file in VBMS. Any paper documents associated with a claim are sent to the claim intake service scanning center in Janesville Wisconsin to be converted into PDF documents that are then added to VBMS.
The conversion to the new system was not only intended to streamline the claim process – primarily for Disability Compensation claims – but also to trim away the huge backlog of disability claims that was approaching over 1,000,000 claims that were older than 3 months. New rules were also initiated that govern the processing of claims in the Regional Office.
In addition, an online application process was developed which is called eBenefits. Other laborsaving procedures were added such as Fully Developed Claims and Decision Ready Claims.
All of these new strategies have certainly helped the Department of Veterans Affairs handle the huge load of compensation claims, but according to Sir Isaac Newton to every action there is always a reaction. The claims process has suffered considerably and resulted in a reaction of hastily and poorly processed applications and many adverse decisions. The new process has simply shifted claims from the Regional Offices to the appeals process. Statistics show that as the backlog in Compensation claims has gone down, the number of appeals in backlog has gone up proportionately.
Valerie will discuss the various deficiencies in the new paperless system and strategies to make sure that the paperless claim doesn’t end up in an appeal. In addition, she will discuss the pitfalls that are in the current system and how to avoid them.