VBA Has a Uniform Training Curriculum for New Claims Processors and an Annual Training Requirement for All Claims Processors, but Staff Are Not Held Accountable for Meeting This Requirement

VBA has established a standardized curriculum for training new VSRs and  RVSRs on how to process claims, and it has an 80-hour annual training  requirement for both new and experienced staff; however, it does not hold  individual staff accountable for meeting this requirement. To ensure that  staff meet this requirement, each regional office must develop an annual  training plan, which can contain a mix of training topics identified by VBA  central office and by the regional office. According to VBA  officials, however, the agency is in the process of implementing an  automated system that should allow it to track the training each staff  member completes. VBA Is Taking Steps to Strategically Plan Its Training for Staff, but Does Not Adequately Evaluate Training and May Be Falling Short in Design and Implementation

VBA is taking steps to strategically plan its training for VSRs and RVSRs  including the establishment of a training board to assess VBA’s training  needs. A number of new staff raised issues with how  consistently their training curriculum was implemented. However, some staff reported that  VBA’s implementation of their centralized training was not always  consistent. Experienced staff had mixed views on training provided by the regional  office. Performance Management System for Claims Processors Generally Conforms to Accepted Practices, but May Not Clearly Differentiate between Performance Levels

		Performance Management System for Claims Processors Is Generally Consistent with Accepted Practices

The elements used to evaluate individual VSRs’ and RVSRs’ performance  appear to be generally aligned with VBA’s organizational performance  measures, something prior GAO work has identified as a well-recognized  practice for effective performance management systems (see app. Although neither  VBA nor VA central office officials have examined the distribution of VSRs  and RVSRs across the five overall performance ratings, VA indicated it is  considering changes to the system designed to allow for greater  differentiation in performance ratings. Recommendations for Executive Action

The Secretary of Veterans Affairs should direct VBA to:    Collect and review feedback from staff on the training conducted at the  if the 80-hour annual training requirement is appropriate for all VSRs  and RVSRs; the extent to which regional offices provide training that is relevant to  VSRs’ and RVSRs’ work, given varying levels of staff experience; and    whether regional offices find the TPSS a useful learning tool and, if not,  what adjustments are needed to make it more useful; and   Use information from its new learning management system to hold  individual VSRs and RVSRs accountable for completing whatever annual  training requirement it determines is appropriate. Key contributors are listed in appendix V.

Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and Methodology

We were asked to determine: (1) What training is provided to new and  experienced claims processors and how uniform is this training? (2) To  what extent has the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) developed a  strategic approach to planning training for claims processors and how well  is their training designed, implemented, and evaluated? And (3) To what  extent is the performance management system for claims processors  consistent with generally accepted performance management practices in  the public sector? We judgmentally selected  these offices to achieve some diversity in geographic location, number of  staff, and claims processing accuracy rates, and what we report about  these sites may not necessarily be representative of any other regional  offices or all regional offices (see fig.
Why GAO Did This Study

Faced with an increase in disability claims, the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) is hiring a large number of new claims processing staff. We were asked to determine: (1) What training is provided to new and experienced claims processors and how uniform is this training? (2) To what extent has VBA planned this training strategically, and how well is the training designed, implemented, and evaluated? and (3) To what extent is the performance management system for claims processors consistent with generally accepted practices? To answer the questions, GAO reviewed documents including VBA policies and training curricula; interviewed VBA central office officials; visited 4 of VBA's 57 regional offices, which were selected to achieve diversity in geographic location, number of staff, and officewide accuracy in claims processing; and compared VBA's training and performance management to generally accepted practices identified by GAO.

What GAO Found

VBA has a standardized training curriculum for new staff and a training requirement for all staff, but does not hold staff accountable for meeting this requirement. The curriculum for new staff includes what is referred to as centralized training and training at their home offices. All claims processors must complete 80 hours of training annually, which may cover a mix of topics identified centrally and by regional offices. Individual staff members face no consequences for failing to meet the training requirement, however, and VBA has not tracked training completion by individuals. It is implementing a new system that should provide this capacity. Although VBA has taken steps to plan its training strategically, the agency does not adequately evaluate training and may be falling short in training design and implementation. VBA has a training board that assesses its overall training needs. However, the agency does not consistently collect feedback on regional office training, and both new and experienced staff GAO interviewed raised issues with their training. Some new staff raised concerns about the consistency of training provided by different instructors and about the usefulness of an on-line learning tool. Some experienced staff believe that 80 hours of training annually is not necessary, some training was not relevant for them, and workload pressures impede training. The performance management system for claims processors generally conforms to GAO-identified key practices, but the formula for assigning overall ratings may prevent managers from fully acknowledging and rewarding staff for higher levels of performance. The system aligns individual and organizational performance measures and requires that staff be given feedback throughout the year. However, VBA officials raised concerns about the formula used to assign overall ratings. Almost all staff in the offices GAO visited were placed in only two of five overall rating categories, although managers said greater differentiation would more accurately reflect actual performance differences. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has not examined the ratings distribution, but acknowledges a potential issue with its formula and is considering changes.