Century Village Deerfield Beach and Pembroke Pines Home Care Agency, A Family Member HomeCare Notes U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) Report on Veterans Disability Benefits: Clearer Information for Veterans and Additional Performance Measures Could Improve Appeal Process
The U.S. Government Accountability Office ("GAO") issued Report GAO-11-812 on September 29, 2011, entitled "Veterans Disability Benefits: Clearer Information for Veterans and Additional Performance Measures Could Improve Appeal Process."
A hyperlink to the report and summary is below:
Highlights Page (PDF) Full Report (PDF, 66 pages) Accessible Text
According to Veteran's Administration data, which has only tracked Decision Review Officer ("DRO") involvement since 2003, veterans chose a DRO review in 61 percent (534,439) of all appeals filed from 2003 to 2010.
Veterans who sought assistance with their appeal from a veteran service organization or other qualified representatives were more likely to choose a DRO review than those without a representative. Without assistance, veterans may not fully understand their two appeal options.
The GAO found that the letter VA uses to inform veterans of their options does not highlight key deadlines or differences between the two options. According to more than half of surveyed regional office managers, most veterans could not make an informed choice on the options based just on the letter. The DRO review process has helped some veterans get additional benefits at the regional office level, but has not reduced the percentage of appeals continuing on to the Board--the primary purpose of the program.
In fiscal years 2003 through 2008, 21 percent of DRO reviews resulted in a full grant of benefits compared to 17 percent of traditional reviews. A full grant of benefits ends, or resolves, the appeal at the regional level. However, appeals may also be resolved at the regional level if veterans who do not receive full grants decide not to continue their appeal to the Board. VA gave DROs the flexibility to interact informally with veterans in part so they could explain when the benefits already granted are appropriate given the law.
However, while DRO reviews led to the grant of full benefits at a higher rate, a higher percentage of veterans not granted benefits through traditional review voluntarily ended their appeals. As a result, in fiscal years 2003 through 2008 the overall percentage of appeals resolved at the regional level was about the same for DRO and traditional reviews--about 70 percent for both.
The VA faces challenges in how to most effectively use and train DROs. Since the DRO process and position were established, DRO duties have expanded beyond reviewing appeals to performing additional tasks such as quality review. However, VA officials have not reached consensus on how to balance DROs' time among different tasks.
The VA has no performance goal or measure for appeal resolution at the regional level that could help it determine whether it is achieving the most effective balance between different tasks. In addition, VA headquarters offers no nationwide, standardized training for new DROs, which according to managers and DROs would be beneficial, as they often lack experience with other tasks that DROs frequently perform such as conducting hearings.
Ninety-three percent of surveyed regional managers said a nationally standardized training for new DROs would be beneficial. GAO recommends VA (1) revise its appeals election letter, (2) develop an appeal resolution goal at the regional level, and (3) develop a training curriculum on DRO duties. In its comments, VA concurred fully with GAO's first and third recommendations but only partially with the second. VA expressed concerns about an appeal resolution goal, including that it could encourage the unjustified granting of benefits. GAO feels that VA's quality control process minimizes this risk.
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A hyperlink to the report and summary is below:
According to Veteran's Administration data, which has only tracked Decision Review Officer ("DRO") involvement since 2003, veterans chose a DRO review in 61 percent (534,439) of all appeals filed from 2003 to 2010.
Veterans who sought assistance with their appeal from a veteran service organization or other qualified representatives were more likely to choose a DRO review than those without a representative. Without assistance, veterans may not fully understand their two appeal options.
The GAO found that the letter VA uses to inform veterans of their options does not highlight key deadlines or differences between the two options. According to more than half of surveyed regional office managers, most veterans could not make an informed choice on the options based just on the letter. The DRO review process has helped some veterans get additional benefits at the regional office level, but has not reduced the percentage of appeals continuing on to the Board--the primary purpose of the program.
In fiscal years 2003 through 2008, 21 percent of DRO reviews resulted in a full grant of benefits compared to 17 percent of traditional reviews. A full grant of benefits ends, or resolves, the appeal at the regional level. However, appeals may also be resolved at the regional level if veterans who do not receive full grants decide not to continue their appeal to the Board. VA gave DROs the flexibility to interact informally with veterans in part so they could explain when the benefits already granted are appropriate given the law.
However, while DRO reviews led to the grant of full benefits at a higher rate, a higher percentage of veterans not granted benefits through traditional review voluntarily ended their appeals. As a result, in fiscal years 2003 through 2008 the overall percentage of appeals resolved at the regional level was about the same for DRO and traditional reviews--about 70 percent for both.
The VA faces challenges in how to most effectively use and train DROs. Since the DRO process and position were established, DRO duties have expanded beyond reviewing appeals to performing additional tasks such as quality review. However, VA officials have not reached consensus on how to balance DROs' time among different tasks.
The VA has no performance goal or measure for appeal resolution at the regional level that could help it determine whether it is achieving the most effective balance between different tasks. In addition, VA headquarters offers no nationwide, standardized training for new DROs, which according to managers and DROs would be beneficial, as they often lack experience with other tasks that DROs frequently perform such as conducting hearings.
Ninety-three percent of surveyed regional managers said a nationally standardized training for new DROs would be beneficial. GAO recommends VA (1) revise its appeals election letter, (2) develop an appeal resolution goal at the regional level, and (3) develop a training curriculum on DRO duties. In its comments, VA concurred fully with GAO's first and third recommendations but only partially with the second. VA expressed concerns about an appeal resolution goal, including that it could encourage the unjustified granting of benefits. GAO feels that VA's quality control process minimizes this risk.
Brian Gauthier's A Family Member HomeCare of Hollywood, Florida provides 24 hour home care, costs health care, elderly health care, elderly home care, elderly home care services, elderly home health care, geriatric home care, health care, health care administration degree, health care agency, health care articles, health care management, health care marketing, health care policy, health care providers, health care service, health care services, health care solutions, health care survey, health care trends, home care, home care agencies, home care agency, home care rn, home care services, home care software, home care solutions, home health, home health agencies, home health agency, home health aid, home health aide, home health aide agencies, home health aide training, home health aides, home health aids, home health assistance, home health care, home health care agencies, home health care agency, home health care aide, home health care business, home health care costs, home health care products, home health care services, home health marketing, home health nurse, home health nursing, home health services, home health software, home health vna, hourly home care, hourly home health aide, information on nursing, low cost home care, masters health care administration, mba health care, mba health care management, medicare home care, medicare home health care, non medical home care, nursing, nursing agencies, nursing agency, nursing home care, nursing homes, partners home care, personal home care, private health care, private home care, risk management health care, senior health care, senior home care, senior home health care,medicare, medicaid, Florida, FL, nurse registry, nursing, seniors, aging, elder, elderly, senior, senior health, aged, aging services, social services, disabled, homemaker, companion, CNA, RN, geriatric, geriatrics, assisted living, nursing home, community resources, home health, nursing, financial, older adults, caregiver, assistance, assisted living, personal care, psych nurse, broward, davie, plantation, hallandale, coral springs, parkland, wilton manors, free health care, plantation, davie, hollywood, tamarac, ft. lauderdale, sunrise, weston, pembroke pines, coral springs, hallandale, miramar, oakland park, wilton manors, deerfield beach, parkland
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