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Can we speed up the claims process.

Under the current system when a Veteran requests an evaluation or re evaluation the process is to submit a request with appropriate records to support the claim, the VA sends the Vet to VES for a physical exam. At which point the VA determines if it's a valid claim or not. If the veteran requests a supervisor review of the claim and they find that the VA made an error in determining the denial of benefits then that re evaluation of the review is then processed under the same and put back into the que as if it were a new claim. This creates a double jeopardy for the vet as they have probably already waited for the initial review and now they have to wait for the new review again when it was identified as an error on the part of the VA.

Request that when an error on the part of the VA has been identified that those claims no longer be placed in the standard que for review but escalated to the top as the Vet has already waited for the standard que but now, due to no fault of the veteran, they have to wait again.

Background: using Community Services I had Left Knee Replacement done. I asked about the process for increasing my rating as we get a temporary 100% until the vet heals. I was told to refile my claim, which I did but was given the wrong info as I should have filled out a different Temporary request vs a claim after the fact. My initial claim was denied, I then I submitted a review. They found that the VA had made an error, 15 months after my initial denial I was awarded the Temporary 100%, their excuse was the Surgeons Report wasn't submitted, yet I have fax confirmation logs from the Surgeons Office showing they were submitted, on top of that there was an Explanation of Benefits showing the Surgeon had been paid for services, yet my claim was denied. Granted in hindsight I was provide incorrect information, if I had had the surgery in the VA Hospital, my benefit would have been almost Immediate, yet as a Vet I had to wait 16 months after my surgery to receive the temporary 100%.

As the VA Secretary what can you do to improve Vet engagement for Temporary 100% for those members in Community Care? What can you do to improve records management from Community Care Providers to the VA System? Obviously if a Surgeon gets paid but no Surgery Report is in the veterans records something is wrong! What is the check and balance? Finally, what can you do to improve veteran outcomes when the VA identifies an error for a veteran due to the VAs oversight, lack of oversight, records management, failures in VA systems, or failures in the Community Care Records, or other VA issue that caused the initial denial.

As stated, veterans who submitted claims have already waited their turn in line to be denied, yet upon review a member of the VA found that a mistake was made, so putting the veteran back at the end of the line for the same claim they already waited on just doesn't feel like the VA is placing the veteran first when they made a mistake!

How can you fix this so vets don't face double wait times for claims they have already submitted but errors were found during the review? This has happened to me twice, both times due to Community Care Records Management issues.

Thank you.

Why doesn't the VA provide vision and dental care to Veterans who were in during peacetime? I feel as if I am being punished for not fighting even though I was ready, willing, and able to do so. Now, my teeth are a mess and I am not qualified for dentak care. I get glasses but only because I have diabetes. Surely, I an not the only one who needs a dentist and/or glasses. Thank you for your time.

Chaplain A. Herrington
Hello,
Why does it take so long to receive your VA disability claim response. It should not take a year or more. VA should hire veterans to help with the process as well

Why are some of the questions being deleted? I posted another question and that one is deleted. It was a completely different topic which justified another post.

I live in Denmark, under the FMP. Last year I was scheduled to get an exam. This was arranged by one of your contractors. I had to cancel the exam because my wife needed cancer surgery. 2 months later I was abLE to attend the exam. I contacted the original contractor telling them so. My file had been returned. It was then given to another contractor, fine. The first contractor had me going to a doctor in Denmark. The second contractor said they had no doctors in Denmark thus sending me to Germany. Worst part was the second contractor has me talking to a person who's english was so bad I could not understand this person on the phone. Why can't these contractors work together? You have do idea what I went through to get the exam. When it is all said and done, you no longer pay travel expenses for us Vets under the FMP, but if I was in the States, yes I get travel, WHY? Are we just second rate Vets because we live OCONUS?

What are some of the biggest challenges facing the VA, especially where your mission has grown without Congressional funding keeping pace?

I’m working on a redisign with. Congressman. I was a corpsman and a nurse . Disabled vet . Just get rid of a separate insurance company for community care . Just run all community care billing though Medicare and Tricare . The reimbursement tables and staff are already set up .
Update the computer systems . I can talk to astronauts on the space station using my iPhone from home . But a doctor in Florida va can’t see the actual swallow study or MRI I had done at Albuquerque va .
Referrals to a clinic should be for a period of one year . Several years ago a orthopedic surgeon wrote I need both knees replaced and to call when ready . Tge doctor is still at the va . I am being made to go back to primary care for a consult . Your doubling and tripling the work on primary care doctors . I have a known condition . I should just be able to call ortho clinic and make the appointment. I have much more . .
My spine is destroyed . I have been to 12 surgeons accross the country . VA surgeons already said it’s too complex for them . Three different surgeons in three states . Send veterans to the BEST surgeons not the closest . A neurosurgeon may do a lot of brain surgery but not spine surgery . This leads to bad surgery which cripples veterans even more . Send me to cedars Sinai in California. No 1 sound team in the nation . Just down the road from then is west LA V/A . Transfer me there for recovery and rehab . That saves money . You can. Duplicate this for Arizona Bartow spine , Minnesota Mayo Clinic , Jacksonville Mayo Clinic , sand diego scripts , New York Lennox hill hospital . There is always a local va hospital to recover and rehab in to save money . The government flies illegals and criminals all over the country , gives them phones , 10 k cash . 9 k food stamps , $1,000 a night hotel rooms . Yet you can’t send us to THE BEST surgeons ??

With such a shortage of providers making an impact on access to care across the VA health system, why not take advantage of other existing mid-level providers (that have NPIs recognized by CMS) and allow them to transition from active duty into the VA? The Intermediate Care Technician was a step in the right direction; however, it only takes advantage of the experience and skill of the traditional, basic military “medic” or brings the civilian EMT up to that level. It fails to tap the experience, education, and experience of the IDMT (USAF) or IDC (USN) that was designed to operate in remote and austere environments, as the only medical provider for miles or days. Tapping into this resource could open up countless numbers of account or urgent care appointments, in some cases still using a physician preceptor model, but freeing up physicians for more complex cases. Due to the needless restrictions in civilian practice, there is a wealth of untapped knowledge and experience as healthcare providers who are working as customer service reps at LOWES rather than become an underutilized component of the wasteful and inappropriately managed US EMS system. With the ability to perform advanced assessments, perform and interpret diagnostics, place referrals, limited prescription authority, and perform procedures (among a number of other things), why not improve access and cut cost by tapping into this otherwise wasted resource?

Why does the V.A. Require a combat veteran to be 100% disabled to give them Dental Care... Because, I was not injured in Vietnam,, I will have to pay many thousands of dollars to have all of my teeth removed because of V.A. Nuclear Treatment for tongue cancer .. the roots are all dead and infected..