Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member Lamborn, distinguished Members of the Committee, thank you for the opportunity to testify before you today regarding the use of technology in the Department of Veterans Affairs claims process.  My name is John Roberts, and I am the National Service Director for the Wounded Warrior Project (WWP), a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to assisting the men and women of the United States Armed Forces who have been injured during the current conflicts around the world. As a result of our direct, daily contact with these wounded warriors, we have a unique perspective on their needs and the obstacles they face as they attempt to transition and reintegrate into their communities. 

In addition to my experience with WWP, I am a service-connected veteran, a former veterans service officer, and was most recently a supervisor with the Houston VA Regional Office where I reviewed claims and became familiar with a number of significant deficiencies within the system.

In the words of one of our Founding Fathers and Patriot, George Washington "The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional as to how they perceive the veterans of earlier wars were treated and appreciated by their Nation".

Clearly with a backlog of over 600,000 claims currently pending within the VA claims system, the perception of veterans of all generations is that we are not meeting that goal. 

As I mentioned in my previous testimony, the current model of the VBA claims processing system has a total of six separate teams and often, but not always, includes another team that is dedicated to processing only the OIF/OEF cases.  The six separate teams handle the incoming evidence, maintain the outdated file cabinet system, develop all claims for service connected disability, conduct interviews, assign ratings, generate notification letters, and maintain all pending appeals submitted by the claimants.

Files must be hand carried to each of the teams, and any member of these teams has access to the records at any given time.  Obviously, this is time consuming, and if any documents are lost or misplaced, the burden then falls to the veteran to replace the missing evidence or claims.

In order to increase efficiency and get compensation and benefits into the hands of our nations veterans, WWP recommends the following steps:

1. Capitalize on advanced technology to replace the antiquated paper system currently being utilized.  The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) has already moved to an electronic system, yet VBA is still dependent on a paper based system which results in the loss of vital medical evidence, folders and files.  However, this process is likely to take time to implement and other measures must be implemented simultaneously. 

2. The VA must use its current authority to award “pre-stabilization ratings” to those who are injured.  Under Title 38 the VA can already give a pre-stabilization rating while a final rating is developed. This step would get cash in the hands of our veterans quickly without having to first complete the entire ratings process.  Unfortunately, this is a severely underutilized authority, resulting in delays of months or even years in compensation for injured veterans. 

3. The VA must have a fully functional ratings board at the major Military Treatment Facilities.  As the National Service Director for WWP, I travel the country visiting the military facilities that care for and treat the newest generation of combat wounded.  On one visit to Camp Lejeune , I witnessed a one stop shopping system.  VBA had in place a supervisor, Rating Veterans Service Representatives (RVSR) to rate the claims and Veterans Service Representatives to develop and finalize disability claims.  To this end, VBA and the Department of Defense are currently working on a pilot program at Walter Reed enabling VBA to perform the task of rating the disabilities received during active duty for the servicemen pending medical board proceedings. This step will help to resolve the issue of claims files being sent across the country for processing and reduce waiting times and lost files and, if successful, should be replicated across the country as soon as possible. 

4. Comply with the recommendation of the Veterans Disability Benefits     Commission (VDBC) to incorporate medical expertise into the ratings process.  By necessity, VA disability compensation claims are being rated by individuals who lack medical experience.  As a result, if more explanation is needed on a particular exam, a further delay is created when the file is required to be sent back to the examiner for clarification.  To remedy this situation, WWP agrees with the VDBC recommendation that “VA raters should have ready access to qualified health care experts who can provide advice on medical and psychological issues that arise during the rating process (e.g., interpreting evidence or assessing the need for additional examinations or VA diagnostic tests).”

5. Allow the Regional Offices consistent access to files across the country. 

Currently, VBA allows only limited electronic access to VHA medical records in areas outside their jurisdiction.  What this means that if a veteran received treatment in New York and now resides in California, the past method was to send a hard copy paper request to the VA Medical Center and wait for a response.  Although there have been improvements by allowing limited personnel to have nation wide access, this is a situation that could be easily resolved by allowing more VBA personnel to have this access.  The concept of one VA should not be limited to specific personnel. 

6. Keep files within one ratings team.  WWP is not advocating for the removal of the current CPI processing system.  However, we are in favor of allowing Regional Offices the flexibility to adjust the current system in order to utilize the strengths of their employees to better serve the veterans waiting on a decision to their claim.

7. Collect statistics on partially finalized ratings as well as those files that are complete.

Currently, RO’s are “graded,” if you will, on the number of claims that are complete.  Because cases can be extraordinarily complex, they take significant time to develop.  However, parts of that file can be reviewed quickly.  For example a claim that includes Post Traumatic Stress, Disorder, a brain injury and an amputation is very complex, but the amputation itself can be rated quickly.  If partial ratings were more widely awarded while the complete file is developed, again, the result would be compensation in the hands of our injured veterans. 

Finally, as we discuss and implement any changes to the system, it is important to remember that each of the 600,000 pending claims represents a veteran, a dependant or survivor and not just a file containing documents and medical evidence.  Although changing the current system will be difficult and time consuming, it is imperative that this happen to ensure that past generations and future generations of veterans receive the highest quality of service this country can offer.  The current system is not sufficient to carry the VA into the future and now is the time for bold initiatives that will serve for generations to come. 

Again, thank you for the opportunity to testify today, and I look forward to answering any questions you may have.