Posted on Mar 10, 2016
VA gives deadline to veterans who have applied for health care
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The Veterans Affairs Department has figured out how to fix a backlog of health care applications that dates back at least four years: Enforce a law requiring veterans to furnish the necessary paperwork, or the applications will be closed.
In a press release issued on Monday, VA officials said the department will “extend the healthcare enrollment application for one year” to 545,000 veterans who have applied for VA health care to allow time for VA to contact them and for the veterans to furnish the required information.
By law, VA must notify applicants with incomplete applications, and if the veteran receives the notice but does not provide the information, the department closes the request.
In the past, the VA's Health Eligibility Center has not tracked the status or timing of applications, resulting in an applications backlog that includes the applications of 545,000 living veterans and 245,000 deceased veterans.
“What happened is there had been a lot of deferred maintenance on this system ... and the HEC did not have the proper leadership making sure these records were being actively case-managed," said VA acting director for member services Matthew Eitutis.
According to VA, officials will reach out by mail and phone to all veterans on the pending list, as it has for 30,000 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans who were mistakenly on that list.
These veterans automatically are entitled to health care for five years following their transition to the civilian community, but in many cases, the VA's software system mistakenly labeled their applications as needing signatures or income information.
“Fixing the veterans enrollment system is a top priority for VA,” VA Deputy Secretary Sloan Gibson said in the release. “This is an important step forward to regain veterans’ trust and improve access to care as we continue the 'MyVA' Transformation.”
The VA inspector general in September found extensive problems with the VA's health applications, including evidence that employees lost 10,000 applications and that more than 245,000 veterans on the pending list actually were deceased.
Scott Davis, a VA whistleblower who brought the issued to light, said on Monday the new effort to contact veterans is doomed, largely because VA will rely on an existing, outdated address and phone database.
“They are using the same address information they’ve had for years that they've acknowledged has bad addresses," Davis said.
He added that the decision to close the applications after a year is unfair to veterans.
"It's irresponsible to just drop these veterans. It’s often not their fault. We’ve done reviews of the system and have found a high number of the incomplete applications were actually mistakes on the side of the VA,” Davis said.
Eitutis said VA will drop a requirement that applications contain a hand-written signature and is checking for other errors created by the center's software system.
He added that of the 31,000 Iraq and Afghanistan veteran applications reviewed, 5,500 are now enrolled in VA health care.
Applying a similar percentage of veterans — nearly 20 percent — to the 545,000 veterans on the pending list, VA could be looking at enrolling nearly 110,000 veterans in VA health care in the coming year.
"We believe there are thousands that we don’t have a signed application for that we are going to enroll in the coming months," Eitutis said.
House Veterans Affairs Committee chairman Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., said in a statement Monday that he was glad VA is addressing the problems but was "baffled" the department took so long.
"Whistleblowers have been complaining about this issue and others at the department’s Health Eligibility Center for years, and at [the committee's] request VA’s inspector general confirmed a huge backlog of pending health care applications in September of 2015," Miller said.
In addition to sending letters to veterans on the pending list, the department plans to provide the names of veterans who have applied to VA medical centers across the country for VA staff to call them.
In a press release issued on Monday, VA officials said the department will “extend the healthcare enrollment application for one year” to 545,000 veterans who have applied for VA health care to allow time for VA to contact them and for the veterans to furnish the required information.
By law, VA must notify applicants with incomplete applications, and if the veteran receives the notice but does not provide the information, the department closes the request.
In the past, the VA's Health Eligibility Center has not tracked the status or timing of applications, resulting in an applications backlog that includes the applications of 545,000 living veterans and 245,000 deceased veterans.
“What happened is there had been a lot of deferred maintenance on this system ... and the HEC did not have the proper leadership making sure these records were being actively case-managed," said VA acting director for member services Matthew Eitutis.
According to VA, officials will reach out by mail and phone to all veterans on the pending list, as it has for 30,000 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans who were mistakenly on that list.
These veterans automatically are entitled to health care for five years following their transition to the civilian community, but in many cases, the VA's software system mistakenly labeled their applications as needing signatures or income information.
“Fixing the veterans enrollment system is a top priority for VA,” VA Deputy Secretary Sloan Gibson said in the release. “This is an important step forward to regain veterans’ trust and improve access to care as we continue the 'MyVA' Transformation.”
The VA inspector general in September found extensive problems with the VA's health applications, including evidence that employees lost 10,000 applications and that more than 245,000 veterans on the pending list actually were deceased.
Scott Davis, a VA whistleblower who brought the issued to light, said on Monday the new effort to contact veterans is doomed, largely because VA will rely on an existing, outdated address and phone database.
“They are using the same address information they’ve had for years that they've acknowledged has bad addresses," Davis said.
He added that the decision to close the applications after a year is unfair to veterans.
"It's irresponsible to just drop these veterans. It’s often not their fault. We’ve done reviews of the system and have found a high number of the incomplete applications were actually mistakes on the side of the VA,” Davis said.
Eitutis said VA will drop a requirement that applications contain a hand-written signature and is checking for other errors created by the center's software system.
He added that of the 31,000 Iraq and Afghanistan veteran applications reviewed, 5,500 are now enrolled in VA health care.
Applying a similar percentage of veterans — nearly 20 percent — to the 545,000 veterans on the pending list, VA could be looking at enrolling nearly 110,000 veterans in VA health care in the coming year.
"We believe there are thousands that we don’t have a signed application for that we are going to enroll in the coming months," Eitutis said.
House Veterans Affairs Committee chairman Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., said in a statement Monday that he was glad VA is addressing the problems but was "baffled" the department took so long.
"Whistleblowers have been complaining about this issue and others at the department’s Health Eligibility Center for years, and at [the committee's] request VA’s inspector general confirmed a huge backlog of pending health care applications in September of 2015," Miller said.
In addition to sending letters to veterans on the pending list, the department plans to provide the names of veterans who have applied to VA medical centers across the country for VA staff to call them.
VA gives deadline to veterans who have applied for health care
Posted from armytimes.comPosted in these groups: 
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
Posted >1 y ago
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So don't own up to your end, but push it back on the veteran. So with the speed of snail mail, the clock is running the minute THEY send out the notice, NOT when the vet actually receives it? This will drop the backlog, and screw over QUITE a few in the process.
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SGT Dave Brimmer, MS, MPA
I respectfully disagree, SSG Swan. There really is no good way to track when a veteran receives paperwork from VA. I believe that VA uses the postal system as their primary means of communication because it is the most reliable. On the other hand, there are many ways that VA tracks and records the paperwork that they received from veterans. My argument is that doing business with anyone requires follow through on both ends. There are many resources available to assist veterans who are unfamiliar with how to navigate the VA systems and procedures. My first suggestion to any veteran who is initially establishing a relationship with VA is to find an advocate, a VSO perhaps, to help them submit paperwork and keep everything moving smoothly.
We have to remember that the VA healthcare system is the largest healthcare system in the country and one of the largest in the world. The system has been neglected in some ways for years, but also has made significant strides in advancing healthcare practices as well. As with any large bureaucracy, individual communication with stakeholders will be an issue. I have to say that even in the past nine years that I have been using the VA system there have been significant increases in efficiency. Of course, I have been frustrated with wait times and processing procedures, but I take those things with a grain of salt because, at the end of the day, I receive free healthcare in a country where healthcare costs for some people are through the roof.
We have to remember that the VA healthcare system is the largest healthcare system in the country and one of the largest in the world. The system has been neglected in some ways for years, but also has made significant strides in advancing healthcare practices as well. As with any large bureaucracy, individual communication with stakeholders will be an issue. I have to say that even in the past nine years that I have been using the VA system there have been significant increases in efficiency. Of course, I have been frustrated with wait times and processing procedures, but I take those things with a grain of salt because, at the end of the day, I receive free healthcare in a country where healthcare costs for some people are through the roof.
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SSG Warren Swan
SGT Dave Brimmer, MS, MPA - Thank you for a good response. I agree there should be mutual follow up on cases, BUT, if you use snail mail, they need to have it registered mail so the vet has to sign for it. Once that signature is made, THEN the clock should start. Having a "deadline" that no one knows about other than you, only serves you in the end. Speaking for myself, when I was going through the process, VA would send snail mail items, but would also CALL to see if I got them or not. That's good customer service, and it holds me and them accountable.
Your statement that the VA is the largest in the world while true, to a point does not matter, but should validate them as a SME in the healthcare business. It should be used as the "golden standard" for everyone else. Who else other than the VA has had to deal on a regular basis the level of constant care on people who've lost limbs, mental stressors, and a myriad of other issues on such a massive scale? Problem is they're not. They're everything that is wrong with the veteran care system. Are there some good doctors in there...simple YES. BUT for every good one, you have 20 who are absolutely worthless? We haven't even mentioned the administrators over the decades who've found new and "amazing" methods to do illegal things that would have them broke from lawsuits, no chance at a job anywhere else, and possibly doing time had they been in a civilian system. I appreciate my doctor I really do. Dr. Spencer-Garcia is one AWESOME woman and doctor at the Ft. Belvoir kiosk. But I got lucky. How many didn't?
If the VA is serious, they need to hold themselves just as accountable for the situation they're in as they are going to hold us in the process. If they need to hire more to do it, then do it. There are PLENTY of jobless vets who'd jump at the chance....until they realize they'd have to use USAJOBS to apply. At that point, and I'd agree, just say forget it. This idea from them while appropriate, is still placing the burden back on the vet, and gives the VA the legitimate out. For the claim I have now with them, it was submitted 13 months ago. I used to call every month after the six months I was told it would take to get it through. The initial answer was it would take six to nine months. It's 13 months and counting. Can I hold the VA to the same level of accountability they are hooding us to? No, but I'll call again next month and get told there is no timeline to close out my claim which is a 180 turn from what they said initially.
Your statement that the VA is the largest in the world while true, to a point does not matter, but should validate them as a SME in the healthcare business. It should be used as the "golden standard" for everyone else. Who else other than the VA has had to deal on a regular basis the level of constant care on people who've lost limbs, mental stressors, and a myriad of other issues on such a massive scale? Problem is they're not. They're everything that is wrong with the veteran care system. Are there some good doctors in there...simple YES. BUT for every good one, you have 20 who are absolutely worthless? We haven't even mentioned the administrators over the decades who've found new and "amazing" methods to do illegal things that would have them broke from lawsuits, no chance at a job anywhere else, and possibly doing time had they been in a civilian system. I appreciate my doctor I really do. Dr. Spencer-Garcia is one AWESOME woman and doctor at the Ft. Belvoir kiosk. But I got lucky. How many didn't?
If the VA is serious, they need to hold themselves just as accountable for the situation they're in as they are going to hold us in the process. If they need to hire more to do it, then do it. There are PLENTY of jobless vets who'd jump at the chance....until they realize they'd have to use USAJOBS to apply. At that point, and I'd agree, just say forget it. This idea from them while appropriate, is still placing the burden back on the vet, and gives the VA the legitimate out. For the claim I have now with them, it was submitted 13 months ago. I used to call every month after the six months I was told it would take to get it through. The initial answer was it would take six to nine months. It's 13 months and counting. Can I hold the VA to the same level of accountability they are hooding us to? No, but I'll call again next month and get told there is no timeline to close out my claim which is a 180 turn from what they said initially.
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SGT Dave Brimmer, MS, MPA
You bring up a good point. Although VHA is viewed as one big service, it is really comprised of many smaller, regional systems. Therein lies the current problem. The veterans who use one VA healthcare system may not receive the same standard of care as those who use another VA healthcare system. Sec. McDonald (Bob, as he chooses to be called), is trying to change this. The MyVA initiative is a part of a larger plan to unify the segmented system into something more universal. For example, (and this is a true story) I recently went on a road trip through St. Louis, far from my "home" VA here in New Jersey. By the time I got there, I realized that I had forgotten to pack a medication. All I had to do is show up in the St. Louis VA Hospital, explain my circumstances to them and wait to be seen in the ER for a prescription. They did not have my medical record on hand, but were able to query the system in NJ for it. The whole situation took about two hours. That's the type of integration that VA is implementing system-wide.
I really like that your VHA in Ft. Belvoir goes the extra mile with the phone follow-up on paperwork. We do phone contacts here in NJ, but mostly for appointment reminders I believe. There is a VA platform called IdeaHouse that regular Joes and Janes can use to submit promising practices to "national" for consideration of system-wide implementation. You should encourage your VHA administrators to do that if the phone calls are working out well.
Lastly, I 100% agree that VA Healthcare should be the gold standard. In many ways it has been, but I agree that there has been too many self-serving employees (from top to bottom) over the decades. I hope that this culture continues to change in good ways for the benefit of all of us veterans.
Full disclosure: I actually work in the VANJHCS doing community outreach. I have these conversations all day, everyday with veterans who are just as frustrated as you with the level and quality of care they receive. I was right there with you. Just over a year ago I said enough is enough and applied for a position. Now, I'm helping folks navigate the system and cutting through some of this red tape that we've been discussing. It's a very rewarding job.
As far as your claim is concerned, let me know if you have any specific questions and I will answer them to the best of my ability. Shoot me a message with that info though...OPSEC and all that...
I really like that your VHA in Ft. Belvoir goes the extra mile with the phone follow-up on paperwork. We do phone contacts here in NJ, but mostly for appointment reminders I believe. There is a VA platform called IdeaHouse that regular Joes and Janes can use to submit promising practices to "national" for consideration of system-wide implementation. You should encourage your VHA administrators to do that if the phone calls are working out well.
Lastly, I 100% agree that VA Healthcare should be the gold standard. In many ways it has been, but I agree that there has been too many self-serving employees (from top to bottom) over the decades. I hope that this culture continues to change in good ways for the benefit of all of us veterans.
Full disclosure: I actually work in the VANJHCS doing community outreach. I have these conversations all day, everyday with veterans who are just as frustrated as you with the level and quality of care they receive. I was right there with you. Just over a year ago I said enough is enough and applied for a position. Now, I'm helping folks navigate the system and cutting through some of this red tape that we've been discussing. It's a very rewarding job.
As far as your claim is concerned, let me know if you have any specific questions and I will answer them to the best of my ability. Shoot me a message with that info though...OPSEC and all that...
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SSG Warren Swan
SGT Dave Brimmer, MS, MPA - Thank you. Seriously thank you. As far as my claim, it's for my CSRC backpay. I won't burden anyone on that. There are WAY too many vets on here and abroad who could use you as a means to get help. Those guys really need you. In fact, I'll ask a favor of you; I think RP could use someone who is "inside" the system to give "briefs" on what is happening in VA, what changes are being made, and solicit feedback from vets who are being hammered. It would be nice to hear what is really going on in VA's desire to get better without the "spin". I know in your position you won't be able to give out everything or on some topics your personal opinion, but the fact that one of us IS inside would help with knowing what we should and should not do. SFC Joe S. Davis Jr. has been posting quite a bit on the VA, and COL Mikel Burroughs has been on here also trying to get these guys help. So for me,
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The irony of the VA giving deadlines to veterans to submit application sis that the VBA is backlogged by years SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL. I am concerned that if the VA is serious about enforcing this that resources will be diverted from resolving applications, appeals, etc. to go towards some type of enforcement of deadlines.
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SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL
LTC Stephen F. I just hope the process is not backlogged for deadlines/accountability. The system could be a work in the process knowing VA past history.
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LTC Stephen F.
SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL - I concur my friend. I hope the VA will become much more effective and efficient soon.
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I echo the previous responses. A system of accountability will be a good thing. Less artificially inflated statistics floating around will certainly help as well. What I mean by that is that the 545,000 veterans who applied for healthcare should fall into only two categories, eligible and ineligible. Right now there is a grey area with 545,000 veterans in it. Making a determination on their statuses will effectively reduce the outlying applications from veterans who are in the grey area.
One thing I didn't see explicitly mentioned in this article was that, for the veterans who take no further action and have their incomplete application for healthcare denied, the requirements for VA healthcare eligibility do not change. They could submit a completed application the very next day and be approved for healthcare services, assuming they were eligible in the first place.
Last comment, the "five years of free healthcare" for us OIF/OEF/OND/OIR veterans is a bit misleading. I know quite a few people who have understood that to mean that they can use VA healthcare for five years from their date of discharge and then they are no longer eligible for services. In actuality, VA will not "kick you out" of the healthcare system, but what a veteran may need to do is verify their ongoing eligibility at that point. That means either being compensated for a service-connected disability or verifying one's income. With the latter method, a veteran may be required to pay a modest copay (not a premium) for visits and prescriptions. In most cases, it's $15/$50 for visits and either $8 or $9 for prescriptions.
My suggestion? If you're a veteran, never submit anything to VA without knowing how the process is designed to work. If you don't know, we are lucky enough to have an enormous network of veterans service officers and organizations, state and county officials, and an endless supply of information on the internet to guide us along. Do it right the first time, folks!
One thing I didn't see explicitly mentioned in this article was that, for the veterans who take no further action and have their incomplete application for healthcare denied, the requirements for VA healthcare eligibility do not change. They could submit a completed application the very next day and be approved for healthcare services, assuming they were eligible in the first place.
Last comment, the "five years of free healthcare" for us OIF/OEF/OND/OIR veterans is a bit misleading. I know quite a few people who have understood that to mean that they can use VA healthcare for five years from their date of discharge and then they are no longer eligible for services. In actuality, VA will not "kick you out" of the healthcare system, but what a veteran may need to do is verify their ongoing eligibility at that point. That means either being compensated for a service-connected disability or verifying one's income. With the latter method, a veteran may be required to pay a modest copay (not a premium) for visits and prescriptions. In most cases, it's $15/$50 for visits and either $8 or $9 for prescriptions.
My suggestion? If you're a veteran, never submit anything to VA without knowing how the process is designed to work. If you don't know, we are lucky enough to have an enormous network of veterans service officers and organizations, state and county officials, and an endless supply of information on the internet to guide us along. Do it right the first time, folks!
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SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL
SGT Dave Brimmer, MS, MPA thanks for the profound words of advise. Henceforth great heads up!
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