Wednesday, October 21, 2009

VA Appoints Four New Board Judges

OK, these four new judges might reduce the 1 million backlog by 3,253 next year.

This is nowhere near what needs to be done in order for veterans to receive timely adjudication of their claims.

President Obama PLEASE fix this, you are a lawyer and understand the sysytem, fix it, PLEASE!

Full Article at: Secretary Announces Expansion of Veterans Appeals Board
Wed Oct 21, 2009 12:02pm EDT

WASHINGTON Oct. 21 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki announced the addition of four new Veterans Law Judges to the Board of Veterans' Appeals (BVA), which will enable the board to increase the number of cases being decided.

"Veterans have earned the right to prompt, exhaustive and professional review of their claims for benefits," Secretary Shinseki said. "This expansion of BVA will enable Veterans to receive more expeditious decisions on their appeals."

BVA is an appeals body to which Veterans, their dependents or their survivors can go when they are not satisfied with decisions about claims for benefits administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). BVA reviewsdecisions on benefit claims made by local VA offices and issues decisions on appeals. The board currently has 60 Veterans Law Judges.

These law judges are attorneys experienced in Veterans law and in reviewing benefit claims. They are the only ones who can issue BVA decisions. Staff attorneys, also trained in Veterans law, review the facts of each appeal and assist the board members.

In fiscal year 2008, the board decided 43,757 appeals and handled 48,804 cases in fiscal year 2009. Most of the cases involve claims for disability compensation and pensions.

"We must foster a responsive approach when we consider Veterans," Shinseki said. "Reducing the backlog of benefits decisions and waiting times are essential to providing our Veterans and their families with the service they deserve."

Senator Webb Calls for Invetigation of Hampton-VA Medical Center

Full Article at: Sen. Webb calls for investigation of Hampton VA medical center

The Virginian-Pilot
© October 21, 2009

U.S. Sen. Jim Webb has asked the Department of Veterans Affairs to examine the quality of care provided by the VA Medical Center in Hampton, saying that complaints, media reports and two internal VA investigations "are a source of great concern."

Webb said that since 2007 his office has received 149 complaints about the facility, ranging from abusive patient treatment to wrongful death. A 2008 assessment by the VA's inspector general found that the center failed to comply with a number of policies and guidelines, he said, and its scores on a patient-perception survey did not meet targets.

An inspector general investigation released last month confirmed that a doctor in the center's emergency department failed to properly diagnose a patient's stroke.