VSO staff are trained to help  veterans understand and apply for any VA benefits to which they may be  entitled, including disability compensation. VBA Manages Workload and Performance through Established Processes, but Guidance for Claims with Errors Has Gaps

		VBA Allocates Claims Workload across Offices Based on Their Capacity, but Guidance for Processing Claims with Errors Has Gaps

The National Work Queue, which VBA uses to distribute disability  compensation claims, was designed to even out the differences in claims  workload across regional offices by having multiple offices complete parts  of a claim and allocating claims based on each office’s capacity. In particular, we found gaps in guidance for  managing deferrals—actions taken by claims processors in VBA’s  electronic claims management system when they identify claims errors  that occurred earlier in the claims process. VBA also conducted an  In-Process Review pilot from November 2017 through May 2018 at  selected regional offices. VBA’s Timeliness and Accuracy Measures Do Not Adequately Reflect Regional Office Performance for Disability Compensation Claims Processing

		Regional Office Timeliness Measure Does Not Capture Performance over a Period of Time

VBA uses Time-in-Queue—the average number of business days that  claims have been pending at a regional office—to measure overall  regional office timeliness for processing disability compensation claims. For this purpose, the  measure is a snapshot on the last day of each month that shows how  long, on average, claims have been pending at each office; however, it  does not capture regional office performance over a period of time. Moreover, according to VBA officials, the agency used Time-in-Queue  scores and additional factors—such as space considerations and training  capacity—to determine the amount of new resources to allocate to its  regional offices in May 2017, and the agency will continue to consider  such performance information when allocating resources in the future. VBA’s accuracy measure attributes the accuracy of sampled claims to the  regional office that finishes the claim even though, under the National  Work Queue, that office may not have done all of the work on the claim. In fiscal year 2017, about 88 percent of all disability compensation claims were processed by more than one office, and about 43 percent were  processed by five or more offices, as shown earlier in figure 3. VBA officials said that they recognize the limitations of the agency’s  regional office accuracy measure, but VBA officials also said it is  reasonable to hold the office that completes the claim accountable  because Veterans Service Representatives are responsible for checking  for errors in the claims process before completing the claim during the  Authorization phase. Evaluating its regional office communication policy with VSOs  and ensuring that the policy is clear, that it aligns with regional offices’  practices, and that it effectively meets VSOs’ communication needs,  could help VBA ensure that it is providing timely and consistent  responses to VSOs on behalf of the veterans they represent, while  minimizing disruptions to regional office staff. Selected Congressional Caseworkers Were Satisfied with Communication with Regional Offices, but VBA’s Communication Was Not Always Timely or Accurate

Congressional caseworkers we spoke with at all four offices we visited  were satisfied with regional office communication regarding disability  compensation claims, though some regional office responses were not  timely or accurate, according to VA Inspector General reports. By creating an outreach mechanism to solicit periodic feedback  from congressional caseworkers, VBA could streamline the inquiry  process and enable them to provide more accurate and timely information  to veterans. Finally,  communication with VSOs and congressional caseworkers could be  improved by clarifying the VSO communication policy and aligning it with  practice and VSO needs, and conducting caseworker outreach in order to  provide more consistent and timely information to VSOs and  caseworkers. (Recommendation 4)
The Under Secretary for Benefits should develop and implement a  mechanism to obtain periodic feedback from congressional  caseworkers on their communication with regional offices regarding  claims and needed information or support. (Recommendation 5)

	Agency Comments and Our Evaluation

We provided a draft of this report to the Department of Veterans Affairs  for review and comment. Regarding  Recommendations 2 and 3, VA stated that VBA is working to develop and  implement new performance measures for regional office timeliness and  accuracy. GAO staff who made key contributions to this report  are listed in appendix II.
Why GAO Did This Study

Each year, VBA processes more than 1 million disability compensation claims and provides about $65 billion in benefits to veterans. The Jeff Miller and Richard Blumenthal Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act of 2016 includes a provision for GAO to review VBA's regional offices to help VBA achieve more consistent performance in processing disability compensation claims.
This report examines (1) how VBA manages workload and performance for the disability compensation claims process, (2) how well VBA's timeliness and accuracy measures capture its regional offices' performance in processing these claims, and (3) how well selected regional offices communicate with VSOs and congressional caseworkers about these claims. GAO reviewed VBA policies and procedures; visited four regional offices selected to represent a range of performance scores and claims processing volume in fiscal year 2017; and interviewed VBA headquarters officials and management and staff from the selected regional offices. GAO also interviewed VSOs and congressional caseworkers—selected for House, Senate, and bipartisan representation—to learn more about their communication with VBA.

What GAO Found

In 2016, the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) centralized distribution of the disability compensation claims workload through the National Work Queue, which prioritizes and distributes claims to regional offices based on their capacity; however, there are gaps in VBA's guidance for processing claims with errors. Under the National Work Queue, multiple regional offices can work on a single claim instead of the claim remaining at one office for the duration of processing (see figure). GAO found gaps in guidance about whether a claims processor should fix an error made by another regional office, or return the claim to that office to be corrected. The former could result in missed opportunities to train staff who made the error, while the latter could result in processing delays.
VBA primarily uses timeliness and accuracy measures to assess its regional offices' performance in processing disability compensation claims, but these measures do not adequately capture performance. The timeliness measure can be skewed because it is a snapshot of how long claims have been pending at an office on the last day of the month, and does not capture performance over a period of time. The accuracy measure is attributed to the office that finishes the claim, even though 88 percent of claims completed in fiscal year 2017 were processed at more than one office. VBA officials acknowledged that these measures are limited and said the agency is exploring alternatives, but VBA has no specific plan or time frame for determining and implementing new measures. Without measures to more accurately assess regional office performance, VBA may be limited in its ability to make efficient and effective decisions.
Veterans service organizations (VSO) and staff working for Members of Congress (congressional caseworkers) interviewed by GAO were generally satisfied with regional office communication regarding disability compensation claims. However, VBA's policy on whom VSOs should contact during different points in the process did not always align with what occurs at the offices we visited or with VSO needs. This could result in VSOs not receiving consistent and timely responses from VBA. Evaluating this policy could help VBA assist VSOs in better serving veterans. In addition, congressional caseworkers GAO interviewed identified ways that communication could be improved or that additional support could be provided, such as a list of contacts at all regional offices for claim inquiries. VBA officials GAO interviewed described an open-door policy through which they may receive feedback from caseworkers, but the agency does not formally solicit periodic feedback from them. Without such feedback, the agency may miss opportunities to identify and address caseworker communication needs that could help them better serve veterans.

What GAO Recommends

GAO is making five recommendations to VBA to clarify guidance for correcting errors, develop and implement measures to better assess timeliness and accuracy at regional offices, and evaluate communication with VSOs and caseworkers. The Department of Veterans Affairs concurred with GAO's recommendations.