Putting Veterans First for Disability Benefits Evaluation and Payment

During his Senate confirmation hearing, the now-confirmed Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) Doug Collins repeatedly promised to put veterans first as he made the VA system more effective and efficient. Indeed, this call to prioritize service to our veterans was a common theme among lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, who pressed Secretary Collins for specifics.

There are a number of steps the new secretary can take independent of Congress to improve the delivery of those veterans benefits.

For example, consider the VA disability compensation program, which takes the veteran through the disability benefits determination process, from evaluating the level of a veteran’s service-related disability through compensation and pension (C&P) exams to the payment of the earned benefits. This same process is also responsible for the subsequent re-evaluation of service-related disabilities over time.

Secretary Collins should review this process as he looks for ways to modernize the VA and ensure it serves veterans better. There are a couple of key reforms we believe should be considered:

First, the agency needs more flexibility to eliminate the current 254,000-claim backlog. This means expanding current contracts with the private sector, which is able to scale up and down more efficiently than government to meet demand and integrate innovative technologies. And second, the VA should also utilize more metrics to measure performance.  This data should measure the speed and accuracy of disability determinations, as well as timely access to benefits. 

Taken together, these reforms can help the VA deliver for their customers – America’s veterans and their families - and help improve customer satisfaction among a population of Americans who lean on this agency during some of the toughest moments of their lives. 

Congress and the VA share a goal of making sure veterans can access the benefits they need and deserve. How the government goes about achieving that goal is important if a “veterans first” program is going to fulfill its promise.