WASHINGTON — Veterans often wait years for a final Veterans Affairs Department (VA) decision for their claims for disability compensation and other benefits.
If the VA denies a veteran's benefits request, the vet can bring the case to the VA Board of Veterans' Appeals.
But it's not quick. In Fiscal Year, 2022, the board made 95,000 claims decisions, and still has 209,000 cases pending.
"Under the legacy appeals process, appellants too often had to face lengthy delays of months, sometimes year to navigate a confusing and complex structure, and some are still now stuck in that outmoded system," said Michael Figlioli, Director, National Veterans Service at Veterans of Foreign Wars.
Figlioli testified on Wednesday during a House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs oversight hearing.
"Without concentrated training to correct these issues, veterans and their families will continue to experience appeals with extremely long waiting periods, just for the VA to finally get it right," said Shane Lierman, Deputy National Legislative Director for Benefits, Disabled American Veterans.
Since 2021, Congress has raised questions about the problems.
"Board leadership has failed to implement measures to ensure that decisions are correct and fair for each and every veteran," said Rep Mogan Luttrell (R-Texas), subcommittee chairman. "Under the Biden Administration, Board leadership's primary concerns is issuing a high number of decisions on veterans' claims or appeals."
A new Government Accountability Office (GAO) report finds that "the VA Board of Veterans Appeals hasn't fully assessed the underlying causes of common errors."
The GAO says the board needs to address gaps in its quality assurance program.
"Overall, the board lacks a process to better understand these issues, which could point to better interventions and solutions," said Elizabeth Curda, a Director in GAO’s Education, Workforce, and Income Security team.