Inspection of the VA Regional Office, Honolulu, Hawaii

We evaluated how well the Honolulu VARO accomplishes its mission. We found the Honolulu VARO faced a number of management challenges contributing to a range of issues in VSC operations. Challenges included training for inexperienced supervisors, incorporating oversight in the Workload Management Plan, and improving communication with staff. The VARO staff accurately processed traumatic brain injury claims and, in general, accurately processed herbicide exposure-related claims and corrected errors identified by VBA’s STAR program. However, they lacked accuracy in processing temporary 100 percent disability evaluations, mostly when staff did not schedule required medical reexaminations. VARO management needed to provide more oversight to ensure completion of SAOs and that staff properly processed mail. Oversight of homeless veterans’ claims processing and homeless shelters outreach programs were also ineffective. The VARO Director concurred with our findings and the planned actions are responsive.