| 6542 Veterans' Benefits: Effective Interaction Needed Within VA to Address Appeals Backlog |
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| Veterans may often wait for months for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to decide their compensation and pension claims. The 40,000 veterans who appeal VA's decisions each year wait much long-- over two years for a final decision. This report examines the status of VA's appeals backlog and VA's progress in implementing recommendations concerning interaction and cooperation among VA's autonomous internal organizations to identify and resolve problems. The report finds that VA's appeals process is increasingly complicated and overwhelmed. The Veterans' Judicial Review Act of 1988, which allows veterans to appeal decisions to the Court of Veterans Appeals, not only expanded veterans' rights, but also VA's administrative burden. The report finds that, since 1991, the number of appeals awaiting Board action has increased by 175 percent, and average processing time has increased over 50 percent. It also note that cooperation between the several VA autonomous organizations that are involved in claims processing has not improved. VA officials believe that the formal and informal mechanisms already in place are sufficient to facilitate effective cooperation and identification and resolution of problems, despite many recommendations and evidence to the contrary. For example, Veterans Benefit Administration (VBA) officials may be unaware of Board interpretations; guidance and practice may be inconsistent with Board interpretations; and questions about interpretation go unresolved. The report concludes that, unless VA clearly defines its adjudication responsibilities, it will not be able to determine whether it has the resources to meet them and whether some new solutions are required. (Final report 47 pages plus appendices.) | |
| Project Officer: | GAO Document Ordering System |
| General Accounting Office | |
| 202-512-6000 | |
| Link to report: http://www.gao.gov/archive/1995/he95190.pdf | |
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