WASHINGTON — The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) started implementing in March steps to improve its posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) claims processing.
During the next six months, VA will provide training, guidance and process updates to ensure claims processors better understand evidence gathering and stressor verification requirements for PTSD claims.
“The updated training for employees is being incorporated and implemented immediately,” said VA Acting Under Secretary for Benefits Thomas Murphy. “I want to ensure our programs consistently evaluate all Veterans effectively and fairly.”
The updated training was developed partly in response to a VA Office of Inspector General (OIG) internal review of approximately 118,000 claims completed during fiscal year 2019 involving Veterans’ entitlement to service connection for PTSD. While most claims for service connection related to PTSD were accurately processed, OIG found claims processors did not follow all task-based procedures when deciding the claim. OIG reviewed a statistical sample of 150 claims and determined the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) claims processors inaccurately processed 24 of the 150 claims.
Part of VA’s improvement is to assess the reorganization of procedural guidance to ensure claims processors make both accurate decisions and follow the required policies. This will include determining any necessary procedural manual changes for accurate processing of claims involving entitlement to Veterans with service-connected PTSD.
The full report can be found here.
###
Reporters and media outlets with questions or comments should contact the Office of Media Relations at vapublicaffairs@va.gov
Veterans with questions about their health care and benefits (including GI Bill). Questions, updates and documents can be submitted online.
Veterans can also use our chatbot to get information about VA benefits and services. The chatbot won’t connect you with a person, but it can show you where to go on VA.gov to find answers to some common questions.
Subscribe today to receive these news releases in your inbox.
More from the Press Room
News Releases
The Department of Veterans Affairs will launch the Veterans Affairs Servicing Purchase (VASP) program, May 31 — to help more than 40,000 Veterans experiencing severe financial hardship avoid foreclosure and stay in their homes.
News Releases
The Department of Veterans Affairs has enrolled 401,006 Veterans in VA health care over the past 365 days — 30% more than the 307,831 it enrolled the previous year. This is the most yearly enrollees in at least the past five years at VA, and nearly a 50% increase over pandemic-level enrollment in 2020.
News Releases
The Department of Veterans Affairs announced the opening of the Cartilage Regeneration using Advanced Technologies to Enable Motion Center — the CReATE Motion Center — at the Philadelphia VA Medical Center.
