Inspection of the VA Regional Office San Diego, California

OIG conducted this inspection to evaluate how well the San Diego VARO accomplishes its mission. We found the San Diego VARO staff provided adequate outreach to homeless shelters and service providers. However, it lacked accuracy in processing some disability claims. VARO staff did not accurately process 42 (53 percent) of 79 disability claims we sampled as part of our inspection. These results do not represent the overall accuracy of disability claims processing at this VARO. VARO staff did not always correct errors identified by the Veterans Benefits Administration’s Systematic Technical Accuracy Review program. Further, they did not always include all mandatory analyses or complete all elements of Systematic Analyses of Operations. VARO staff did not properly process mail or accurately address Gulf War veterans’ entitlement to mental health treatment. Delays occurred in processing claims pending more than 365 days when staff did not request adequate supporting evidence or timely follow up on past due actions. The VARO Director concurred with our findings and recommendations. The planned corrective actions are responsive and we will follow up as required on all actions.