BULLETIN TODAY | MONEY & SAVINGS
By Kevin Freking of The Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — Although the number of pending (click here) veterans’ disability claims keep soaring, Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki on Sunday said he’s committed to ending the backlog in 2015 by replacing paper with electronic records....
...Shinseki said that the VA has puts its new computer system in place in 20 regional offices around the country and all regional offices will be on the system by the end of the year....
I realize the problems with assessing a veteran's disability is unique from that of the Social Security Disability services, but, the Social Security folks get it done. There have to be aspects of the SSI system that will apply to the Veterans.
Additionally, combat Veterans need to be considered 100% credible in their claims. They should have a 'predisposed' determination. No man or woman returning from a combat position should be treated in less than 100% credible. A physical examination and/or psychiatric evaluation is all this should require. Outside the combat veterans the VA and DOD can proceed in a less urgent method, but, the combat veterans should have special status.
..."The (federal) response(click here) has been slow and has not matched the magnitude of this population's requirements as many cope with a complex set of health, economic, and other challenges," said co-author Dr. George Rutherford. He chairs the IOM’s committee on the assessment of readjustment needs of military personnel, veterans, and their families. The IOM, an independent nonprofit, is the health arm of the National Academy of Sciences....
...Among the recommendations within the 500-plus page report:
- DOD and VA must “boost efforts to reduce the stigma” associated with service members or veterans simply asking for help to deal with mental-health issues or with substance-abuse problems.
- The tool DOD uses to assess cognitive function following a head injury – Automated Neuropsychological Assessment Metrics (ANAM) — carries “no clear scientific evidence” to show that it works. That’s key because more than 200,000 U.S. troops have sustained traumatic brain injuries since 2000 — most non-combat-related. On March 5, Congressional members sent a letter to the chiefs of DOD and VA seeking data to investigate a new theory linking TBIs with the military’s suicide crisis.
- One of the VA’s “first-line treatments for depression” — Acceptance and Commitment Therapy — similarly “lacks sufficient evidence” to show its efficacy.
- Research has found that curbing access to lethal weapons prevents suicides, however, “DOD policy prohibits restricting that individual's access to privately owned weapons” — even if a service member is known to be at risk for suicide.
- DOD and VA should link their databases so that the health records of all service members are available to track their medical conditions from the moment they enter the service through the day any future treatment is eventually rendered by a VA facility....
General Shinseki has done excellent work to bring about change that will serve our veterans. They can be treated immediately, if necessary, within the VA system and that is important. General Shinseki is correct in focusing first on treatment of dangerous illnesses either physical or mental. He has applied resources to the Department of Veterans Affairs to triage the dangerous our veterans face.
There is a computer system. This is the first time in all the decades of claims there has been modernization. Like, what? Finally. The backlog is felt profoundly because of the numbers of veterans waiting in line. The numbers make the backlog. I am quite confident General Shinseki is focused and determined. He is dedicated to the best outcomes of our soldiers and he has demonstrated that.
There may be alternatives to standard claim assessment though. There are attorneys that assist veterans in their claims. I can't help but believe if these attorneys could be used in an advocacy manner rather than adversarial relationship with the VA there would be quicker outcomes. In other words, find a way to have our university hospitals and private attorneys process paperwork on a fast track method to resolve the backlog for combat veterans.
If the university systems can expedite the claims based on VA standards it should be valid. I realize this might mean spending resources General Shinseki would use otherwise, but, it might be a reasonable idea for veterans already in the process over 6 to 8 months.
The justification to spending outside the VA system, focusing first on combat veterans, is the longer the claims take the more likely the VA medical system will be stressed with soldiers in a negative spiral. The entire VA system could achieve a better operational status if the backlog was resolved and soldiers were allowed to improve their lives though support in the face of their disability. The resources available for treatment might increase if so much wasn't used to process a backlog.
General Shinseki cannot guarantee there won't be some fraud in an accelerated process conducted in the private sector, but, oversight would be needed. A reassessment of these claims within the VA system within a year to eighteen months from the date of the decision would reduce continued fraud. That would bring the target date of 2015 online with a less stressed backlog demand and more support for the veteran.
