Inspection of VA Regional Office Fort Harrison, Montana

Overall, VA Office of Inspector General (OIG) benefits inspectors determined Fort Harrison VA Regional Office (VARO) claims processing staff incorrectly processed 2 of the 66 disability claims (3 percent) selected for review. One of the claims processing errors resulted in approximately $2,410 in improper benefits payments over a period of 7 months. The OIG benefits inspectors sample disability claims considered at increased risk of processing errors so inspection results do not represent the accuracy of all disability claims processed at the Fort Harrison VARO. The OIG report indicated VARO staff incorrectly processed 2 of 30 claims related to temporary 100 percent disability evaluations but accurately processed all 30 disability claims related to traumatic brain injuries (TBI)—a significant improvement from the 2011 benefits inspection. During the 2011 review, 10 of the 30 temporary 100 disability evaluations and 3 of the 23 TBI cases OIG sampled contained processing errors. The OIG report also indicated that VARO staff accurately processed all six Special Monthly Compensation and ancillary benefits claims received during calendar year 2014. Additionally, VARO staff followed policy and accurately established claims in an electronic system of records using correct dates of claims for the 30 claims sampled. However, delayed processing actions in 3 of the 30 benefits reduction cases resulted in approximately $4,991 in improper benefit payments. The improper payments resulted from delays in taking actions to reduce the benefits because VARO management considered other work to be a higher priority. The Director of the Fort Harrison VARO concurred with all recommendations and OIG plans to follow up to ensure the planned corrective actions were implemented.