Veterans' disability benefits, improvements could further enhance quality assurance efforts : report to the Chairman, Committee on Veterans' Affairs, House of Representatives.

Format:

Book

Government document

Author/Creator:

United States. Government Accountability Office, author.

Contributor:

United States. Congress. House. Committee on Veterans' Affairs, sponsoring body.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

United States. Veterans Administration--Management--Evaluation.

United States.

United States. Veterans Administration.

Disability evaluation--United States.

Disability evaluation.

Disabilities--United States--Management.

Disabilities.

Management--Evaluation.

Genre:

Online resources.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (ii, 38 pages) : color illustrations

Place of Publication:

[Washington, D.C.] : United States Government Accountability Office, 2014.

Summary:

With a backlog of disability compensation claims, VBA faces difficulties in improving the accuracy and consistency of the claim decisions made by staff in its 57 regional offices. To help achieve its goal of 98 percent accuracy by fiscal year 2015, VBA recently implemented a new way of measuring accuracy and changed several quality assurance activities to assess the accuracy and consistency of decisions and to provide feedback and training to claims processors. GAO was asked to examine VBA's quality assurance activities. This report evaluates (1) the extent to which VBA effectively measures and reports the accuracy of its disability compensation claim decisions and (2) whether VBA's other quality assurance activities are coordinated and effective. GAO analyzed VBA claims and STAR accuracy data from fiscal year 2013 (the most recent fiscal year for which complete data are available); reviewed relevant federal laws, VBA guidance, and other documents relevant to quality assurance activities; and interviewed VBA staff from headquarters and four VBA regional offices (selected to achieve variety in geography, workload, and accuracy rates), as well as veteran service organization officials. GAO is making eight recommendations to VA to improve its measurement and reporting of accuracy, review the multiple sources of policy guidance available to claims processors, enhance local data systems, and evaluate the effectiveness of quality assurance activities.

Notes:

"November 2014."

"GAO-15-50."

Includes bibliographical references.

Online resource, PDF version; title from cover (GAO web site, viewed February 13, 2017).

OCLC:

920432281