In an effort to get more veterans benefits out to former military personnel, the Department of Veterans Affairs is in the midst of a lengthy process to roll out the Veterans Benefits Management System. FCW said the Hartford, Connecticut branch is leading the way thus far, which switched over at the end of 2012. The paperless system is used in 18 VA offices but expected to be in all 56 of VA offices by the end of this year, according to The Washington Post.
How this system pans out could be a huge issue for veterans that are in the midst of a lengthy wait for necessary benefits. VA said VBMS is a way to cut down on the processing time of a claim from 240 days to 119 and added that this system should work to cut down on huge backlog of files. While the system cost $537 million, it should hopefully save a lot of time, money and energy on the behalf of veterans with even nominal success.
“While the elimination of the backlog will be a welcome milestone, we must remember that eliminating the backlog is not necessarily the same goal as reforming the claims processing system, nor does it guarantee that veterans are better served,” Jeffrey Hall, assistant national legislative director for Disabled American Veterans, told FCW in a post, warning that this system will not solve every issue. “The backlog is a symptom, not the root cause.”
VA’s backlog is well known and defers timely justice to veterans. While it is a step in the right direction that VA has decided to come into the 21st century with an improved claims processing system, it is still imperative that veterans closely follow their claim and meet all filing deadlines. The Law Offices of Harold W. Conick and Associates is available to assist its veteran clients in the pursuit of their benefits.
