Mr. Chairman and Members of the Subcommittee:

Thank you for the opportunity today to appear before the Subcommittee to discuss employee training within the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA).  I am pleased to be accompanied by Diana Rubens, Associate Deputy Under Secretary for Field Operations; Terence Meehan, Director of Employee Development and Training; and Danny Pummill, Deputy Director for Policy and Procedures for the Compensation and Pension (C&P) Service.

Breaking the Back of the Backlog

As you know, Secretary Shinseki set the goal of eliminating the disability claims backlog by 2015 so no Veteran has to wait more than 125 days for a high quality decision that meets a 98 percent accuracy level.  This important goal is at the center of our work as we collaborate across the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to improve the delivery of benefits for our Nation’s Veterans.  We define the “claims backlog” as claims that have been pending in our inventory longer than the 125-day goal.  VA currently has approximately 530,000 pending disability claims, 37 percent of which have been pending longer than 125 days and are therefore considered to be part of VA’s claims backlog.  We are currently at 83.5 percent rating quality which is below our fiscal year (FY) 2010 target of 90 percent.

VBA has been aggressively hiring claims processing staff across the Nation since FY 2007, and continues to hire through FY 2010.  However, hiring more employees is not a sufficient solution.  The need to better serve our Veterans requires bold and comprehensive business changes to transform VBA into a high-performing 21st Century organization that provides the best services available to our Nation’s Veterans and their families.  VBA’s transformation strategy leverages the power of 21st Century technologies applied to redesigned business processes.  We are examining our current processes to be more streamlined and Veteran-focused.  We are also applying technology improvements to the new streamlined processes so that the overall service we provide is more efficient and timely.  We are using the knowledge, energy, and expertise of our employees, other administrations in VA, Veterans Service Organizations, Congress and the private and public sectors to bring to bear ideas to accomplish this claims process transformation.

One of VBA’s strategies is to improve and expand training available to our employees.  We focus on high-quality, timely, and relevant training for both new and experienced personnel.  To that end, VBA has deployed training tools and centralized training programs to improve standardization of training across all regional offices (ROs).  My testimony will address training of new and experienced employees who process Veterans’ claims.  I will describe the training programs as well as the methods of training evaluation and oversight VBA is using to ensure employees are continuously prepared to accomplish their mission.

New Employee Training

VBA has developed and implemented a standardized training curriculum, the Challenge training program, for new claims-processing employees.  The Challenge program is a national technical training curriculum that provides new Veterans Service Center employees with the skills they need to function effectively in their positions as Veterans Service Representatives (VSRs) or Rating Veterans Service Representatives (RVSRs).  Since FY 2007, VBA has trained more than 7,200 new VSRs and RVSRs, including more than 2,000 in FY 2010. 

The Challenge program is delivered in three phases.  Phase 1 is completion of knowledge-based prerequisite training at home stations using lectures, demonstrations of computer applications, and team-learning through VBA’s Training and Performance Support Systems (TPSS).  Post-tests built into TPSS confirm that students have learned the material. 

Phase 2 is centralized classroom training.  Newly hired VSRs and RVSRs attend two-and-a-half weeks of resident training.  These courses are offered at the Veterans Benefits Academy in Baltimore, Maryland, and selected VA regional offices when the volume of newly hired VSRs and RVSRs exceeds the centralized training capacity.  All training sites use standardized curricula.  Area offices recommend trained instructors to VBA Headquarters where selections and instructional assignments are made.  The quality of the training is enhanced by using no greater than an 8:1 student-to-instructor ratio.  Centralized training provides hands-on training with computer applications and advances the new employees through progressively more challenging practice claims.  All new employees handle sample claims just as they will when they return to their home stations. 

Phase 3 is completed at home stations, blending lectures, discussions, and TPSS training with experiential learning.  Trainees work actual Veterans’ cases under the guidance of experienced personnel.  Instructors in the first two phases are subject matter experts who have completed either an instructor development course designed to provide platform-delivery skills or a TPSS Training Coordinator course taught to effectively use team learning with standardized lesson materials.  Instructors in the third phase are experienced VSRs or RVSRs with current knowledge of regulations and procedures.  Many of the Phase 3 instructors have also received formal instructor training. 

From FY 2008 through FY 2010, 1,642 VBA employees have attended a VBA-sponsored instructor course.  Our goal remains to provide every field employee identified as a potential instructor an opportunity to receive instruction on design and delivery of training.

Experienced Employee Training

In response to Government Accountability Office (GAO) recommendations and internal evaluations, VBA instituted continuous improvements to its program for training of experienced personnel.  Beginning in FY 2010, VBA designed national curricula to enhance quality in claims processing through standardized training.  Topics in the national curricula were selected to address national quality issues as determined through VBA’s Systematic Technical Accuracy Review (STAR) program. 

The national curricula were used by ROs to deliver required training for VBA employees based upon experience level.  The intermediate curriculum was used for employees with 6 to 24 months of experience, and the advanced curriculum was used for employees with more than 24 months of experience.  Lesson materials supporting the national curricula were published by the C&P Service to increase standardization of training across all ROs. 

In FY 2010, VSRs and RVSRs are required to complete a total of 85 hours of training, including 40 hours from the appropriate mandatory national technical curriculum (intermediate or advanced), 20 hours of electives from a national technical curriculum of additional topics, and 25 hours of station-determined topics that included courses required of all VA employees.  By August 31, 73 percent of all VSRs and RVSRs had exceeded the mandatory 85 hours of training, and 80 percent were on track to complete the requirement by the end of FY 2010.

In FY 2011, VBA is making additional improvements in the training for experienced VSRs and RVSRs.  The change will give supervisors more latitude to tailor the annual training of employees to better meet the emerging needs of individual employees, their managers, and the RO in this transformational environment.  In FY 2011, experienced Veterans VSRs and RVSRs will be required to complete 85 hours of training from multiple curricula. 

All VSRs and RVSRs will complete VA-mandated courses on an annual or biennial basis to promote diversity and emphasize information security awareness.  They will be required to complete 40 hours from a C&P Service technically-oriented curriculum that addresses national quality concerns and regulation changes.  They will also complete an additional 40 hours from a combination of curricula depending upon the needs of the RO and the developmental needs of individual employees. 

For employees who require greater technical growth, some or all of the 40 hours may be chosen from the C&P curriculum of technically oriented “elective” courses.  Employees who have mastered their trade, exhibit high production and quality, and have expressed both the potential and interest in personal growth may be ready for development in skills that prepare them for higher levels of responsibility.  For employees with non-technical needs, such as critical thinking and effective writing, courses will also be available through VA’s new “ADVANCE” Program.  The purpose of this program is to invest in employee development, workforce engagement, and talent management.  This program will support the learning needs of a transformational organization and includes courses such as critical thinking, effective team operations, oral and written communications, and managing change at the individual and group levels.

Training Oversight

VBA has improved its training oversight methods to increase accountability.  Managers at all levels are held accountable for ensuring training requirements are met.  The VA Learning Management System (LMS) provides a transparent view of each employee’s training achievements to managers and supervisors from the team through the Headquarters level.  Using LMS, the Headquarters generates periodic reports to indicate whether ROs are progressing satisfactorily to meet published training requirements for VSRs and RVSRs.  The reports are shared within Headquarters and with RO leaders.

In 2008, VBA created the staff position of Training Manager for each RO.  The Training Manager is responsible for local training reviews, as well as analyzing performance indicators to determine local training needs and implementing the training necessary to meet those needs.  In each year since the positions were established, VBA has provided multiple venues for collaboration of Training Managers with Headquarters personnel and other Training Managers.  The keystone is an annual workshop for training and collaboration that is reinforced with monthly telephonic meetings and on-line collaboration using social networking tools.

Training Evaluation

In response to a GAO recommendation, VBA developed and implemented a strategy for systematically assessing the content, mode, and timing of training for experienced claims processors.  Training of claims processors is continuously improved in VBA through ongoing evaluation of the training program itself.

During Challenge Phase 2 (centralized) training, Challenge students provide anonymous evaluations, using a web-based tool, of each lesson and the performance of their instructors, as well as the training facilities and support.  Evaluation feedback is reviewed daily by the C&P Service training staff to facilitate rapid corrective actions if participants or instructors need improvements.

Upon their return to home stations for Challenge Phase 3, employees provide weekly evaluation of their continuing training.  Employee feedback is reviewed weekly by Headquarters personnel for potential intervention if training is not proceeding successfully.  Additionally, VBA initiated a Challenge Phase 3 site-visit program to gather feedback from participants and their managers about how that phase of Challenge is being implemented.

VBA is also collecting and reviewing feedback from staff to determine if the 85-hour training requirement is appropriate for experienced VSRs and RVSRs.  Similar to the feedback mechanism used with employees in Challenge training, VBA is using a web-based evaluation tool to gather feedback from experienced claims personnel regarding their training.  In more than 22,000 responses from experienced personnel since initiating the evaluation in March 2010, VBA has collected feedback on the usefulness, relevance, and quality of the training received in their ROs using the national lesson materials.  Headquarters personnel who authored the training materials and RO managers have direct access to the feedback and can quickly update lesson materials and publish the changes.

VBA’s formal training system, TPSS, has an integral feedback mechanism to encourage users to recommend improvements, changes, and corrections to lesson materials.  Recommendations are screened routinely and prioritized for incorporation into the life cycle project management plans, with the goal of keeping all materials complete and accurate.

Conclusion

Since the Subcommittee’s last hearing on VBA training in 2008, VBA has substantially and continuously improved the entry-level instruction provided to our new claims processors.  VBA has also taken many positive actions to enhance the relevancy and standardization of training for experienced claims processors.   VBA expanded its training oversight and implemented an evaluation program to increase quality and consistency and support a continuing dedication to improving training.  VBA has made continuous efforts to improve training and ensure high quality decisions for our Veterans in a timely manner. 

Mr. Chairman, this concludes my testimony.  I will be happy to respond to any questions that you or other Members of the Subcommittee may have.