VA aggressively attacking backlog: Opposing view

• We have examined the process from beginning to end to find ways to speed the delivery of benefits.
• Half of disability claims are being processed electronically%2C and that volume is growing daily.
• There is momentum to end the backlog for good in 2015.

Too many veterans are waiting too long to receive earned benefits. That has never been acceptable.

While much work remains, the claims backlog has decreased 20% since March and is now at its lowest point in more than two years.

In the past three years, the Department of Veterans Affairs has expanded access to disability benefits for hundreds of thousands of veterans — from those with multiple deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan to those exposed to Agent Orange in Vietnam or diagnosed with PTSD. While these decisions were the right choices, we knew pending compensation claims would increase.

VA is aggressively addressing the backlog of claims through a comprehensive plan that is making clear progress. We have examined the process from beginning to end to find ways to speed the delivery of benefits for all and have partnered with veterans groups and other organizations in this effort.

VA is ending our reliance on outdated paper systems and transitioned every VA office to an electronic processing system to fundamentally transform the way we do business. For the first time, veterans can apply for compensation benefits online using an application similar to tax preparation software. Working with the Defense Department and other federal agencies, VA has improved digital access to medical records and other documentation needed to make compensation decisions — a critical component in reducing wait times. Today, 50% of disability claims are being processed electronically — and that volume is growing daily.

We have prioritized decisions for veterans who have waited the longest and mandated overtime for all claims specialists across the country. At the same time, VA has completed more than a million claims in each of the past three years, levels never reached before. The accuracy on those decisions has increased to over 90%. More than 100,000 veterans are receiving decisions on their claims each month.

Thanks to the strong leadership of President Obama and VA Secretary Eric Shinseki, and the support of Congress, transformation of our compensation claims process is well underway. At the same time, VA continues to provide high-quality health care to millions of veterans every day.

Fixing a decades-old problem is never easy. Yet there is tremendous energy and momentum within VA, and across the federal government, to end the backlog for good in 2015, and uphold our commitments to current and future generations of veterans.

Allison A. Hickey is undersecretary for benefits for the Department of Veterans Affairs.