WASHINGTON – The Department of Veterans Affairs is eliminating its in-house compensation and pension exam program and will outsource all of the exams, which are crucial to determining whether veterans are eligible for VA benefits.
In a letter to VA Secretary Robert Wilkie on Tuesday, Rep.
Elaine Luria, D-Va., said the plan was developed with no notice to Congress.
She’s concerned the move could slow work to reduce a backlog of compensation
and pension exams, commonly referred to as C&P exams, and she’s worried
about the VA’s ability to oversee the contractors. Luria also criticized the
department for cutting federal jobs during a pandemic.
“For many veterans, thorough and accurate C&P
examinations are crucial to securing service-connected benefits,” Luria wrote.
“VA’s quiet decision to carry out a major reorganization of its C&P program
without a plan to make key improvements, reduce backlog, or retain employees is
unlikely to deliver the high-quality results we expect.”
Luria leads the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and
Memorial Affairs, part of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. During a
hearing she led last year, the VA said it would contract with more outside
medical providers to perform C&P exams. Lawmakers were led to believe the
contracted examiners merely supplemented the existing program, primarily to
help rural veterans and those veterans facing long wait times, Luria said.
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