Washington, D.C. - Today, Rep. Phil Roe, M.D. (R-Tenn.) Ranking Member of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs announced that he plans to visit the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Nashville Regional Office (RO) and the Nashville VA Medical Center (VAMC) on Friday, January 18, 2019.
The Nashville RO is one of the places where the Rapid Appeals Modernization Program (RAMP), a critical element in the implementation of the Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act, is being piloted. This visit will occur shortly ahead of when VA is anticipated to fully implement the law. At the RO, Roe plans to learn how the RAMP program is going and determine whether or not he believes VA will be prepared to successfully implement the full reform. Roe also plans to visit the Systemic Technical Accuracy Review (STAR) Program. At STAR, Roe hopes to make sure that VA is effectively monitoring the quality of claims decisions for veterans all across the nation.
"I look forward to visiting the RO and seeing for myself how the early stages of
the implementation of the Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act are going," said Roe. "For far too long, veterans with pending appeals on their disability claims have been stuck in an outdated and cumbersome process. The law, as intended, would help speed up this process by creating three lanes for appeals claims. It is my hope that I leave the RO assured that VA is ready for the full implementation of the law. Of course, if not, I plan to work with VA and my colleagues to find the best path forward so that we can deliver on our promises to veterans and speed up the appeals process. As we learned with the implementation of the Forever GI Bill, it is critical that we ensure all the i's are dotted and t's crossed before full implementation."
During Roe's time at the Nashville VAMC, he will meet with the leadership team and get an inside look at both quality improvement opportunities and advancements in various medical technologies for veterans.
