YOHO, MURPHY LEAD EFFORT TO IMPROVE VETERANS CLAIMS PROCESS
Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressmen Ted S. Yoho (R- FL-03) and Patrick E. Murphy (FL-18), along with 61 members of Congress, sent a letter to Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald, urging him to grant access to Congressional constituent advocates for veterans’ electronic claims files. Granting this access would allow Congressional offices to give better updates to veterans regarding their claims and free up VA staff to more quickly process claims.
“When veterans can’t get regular updates about their claims, they turn to congressional caseworkers in their district,” said Yoho. “Caseworkers can only provide them the answers they need by contacting regional VA offices. This adds another layer between the veteran and the answers they are so desperately looking for - which in turn causes frustration. It is my hope that with this common sense solution, Veterans Affairs Secretary McDonald will take the necessary steps to streamline the claims process and grant congressional caseworkers read-only access to veterans’ claims files. This will help give our nation’s veterans piece of mind about the status of their claims and expedite the process.”
“The VA is constantly working to remove the claims backlog and this effort is one more way we can do it,” said Rep. Murphy. “By giving certified, congressional constituent advocates access to view the claims status, we’ll get veterans more timely updates and free up VA officials to process claims quicker. Every effort should be made to get our veterans the information they need as fast as possible, and I am hopeful the VA will work with us to make that happen."
“The VFW believes that allowing congressional caseworkers to view the electronic claim files of veterans who have requested their assistance will provide swifter service for veterans and allow VA regional office employees more time to do their jobs,” said Ray Kelley, VFW National Legislative Director.
Currently, only the VA and certified Veteran Service Officers have access to a veteran’s claims files. In their letter, the members are requesting read-only access for Congressional office advocates who are currently acting as a “middle man” between the VA and veterans. Responses to Congressional offices are often delayed because the volume of requests to the VA – and more importantly, VA officials – takes away from decision-making on claims in a more timely fashion. Granting access to certified constituent advocates will give veterans faster responses and will reduce the number of Congressional inquiries to the VA.
The complete text of the letter is available below:
Dear Secretary McDonald,
Over the past year, Congress and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) have fostered a healthier, stronger relationship by working together to tackle issues that prevented our veterans from receiving the healthcare they have earned and were promised by the nation they defended. Through bipartisan congressional action such as the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014, and under your guidance, the VA has begun to make tremendous progress in providing veterans access to services provided by the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) and holding VHA officials accountable. It is in this same spirit of commitment and cooperation that we ask for your assistance in changing VA policy regarding constituent advocate access to the veterans’ electronic claims files - CITRIX, MAP-D, SHARE, VBMS, VACOLS, and Virtual VA.
As the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) continues to tackle the enormous claims backlog, we ask that you permit certified, congressional constituent advocates to have read-only access to view the claims status via the electronic claims files. Only VA staff and certified Veterans Service Officers currently have permission to access these files. In order for our office to provide adequate assistance to our veterans, we require regular updates on the status of their claim. Under current policy, advocates must contact regional offices to obtain this information.
When advocates have to play the role of middle man, it often results in delayed responses, adding to the frustrations of veterans who have already had to endure excessive wait times for the VA’s decision regarding their claim. The necessity of contacting regional offices also interferes with the ability of the VA to best utilize its personnel to reduce the claims backlog and make decisions in a more timely fashion. Permitting read-only access will reduce the volume of calls to regional office by congressional offices and allow VA staff to do their jobs in an expeditious manner. Together, our offices and the VA can eliminate congressional requests that often detract from the VA’s core mission – helping veterans.
While we believe it is vital to allow congressional constituent advocates to have read-only access to veterans claims statuses, we also believe it is equally vital that the security and privacy of veterans’ information be protected. We fully believe all advocates should undergo the same training as VSOs and the costs associated with the training should be absorbed by the congressional office seeking read-only access. Additionally, congressional offices operate on secure networks, similar to what VSOs currently operate on and constituent advocates must already obtain a privacy release form prior to opening a case on the behalf of the veteran.
Under your leadership, the nation has witnessed marked improvement in the lives of the thousands of veterans the VA provides services for. We sincerely hope you will strongly consider our request and work with Congress to continue to improve veterans’ services and eliminate the claims backlog. If you have any follow-up questions, concerns, or comments, please feel free to contact our offices directly. Thank you for your service, and we look forward to working with you.