Department of Veterans Affairs officials are hoping a new automated system that helps render decisions on disability claims will accelerate the process and decrease the backlog of claims applications.
A pilot run of the VA Automated Benefits Delivery System,
launched in December, looked at claims filed by veterans seeking upgrades to
their disability ratings for hypertension and cut 98 days from the process for
those with complete files.
VA officials said the program is part of a plan to address
260,000 current disability claims, including 59,000 that are older than 125
days and are considered backlogged.
"We saw an opportunity to look at our traditional
disability claims process and see how we can better leverage the data we have
... to introduce business-process automation," explained Rob Reynolds,
acting deputy undersecretary for the VA's Office of Automated Benefit Delivery,
during a press conference with reporters Tuesday.
The system takes electronic or paper claims and uses
algorithms to determine whether the file contains enough data and information
to render a decision. It then weighs the information against the rules that
govern disability claims and makes a recommendation whether to approve or
disapprove the claim.
The system's recommendation is reviewed and validated by a
rating veterans service representative. If at any time the system decides that
more information is needed -- the veteran needs a comprehensive medical exam or
more data is required to render a decision -- the claim is sent to a claims
reviewer for traditional processing, Reynolds said.
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