Inspector General Finds Mismanaged Disability Claims, Roanoke-VA

Full Article at: Report claims Roanoke Veterans Affairs office mismanaged disability claims
By Scott Leamon | WSLS10 Reporter

A federal Office of Inspector General report claims employees with Roanoke’s regional office of veteran’s affairs mismanaged several disability claims.

Between August 25th to September 2nd of last year, the report reads several inspectors were at the office inside Roanoke’s Poff federal building.

The inspectors looked at everything from the contents of some employees’ desks to what was in their trash cans.

The report found the office did not meet 6 of 14 important operational areas.

It also found employees mismanaged the claims of several vets.

Inspectors looked at a sample of claims filed between January and March of 2009.

Of the 901 disability claims filed during that time frame, the sample studied 118 of them.

Inspectors found 29 of those 118 claims contained errors.

Cited examples include the story of one veteran diagnosed with coronary artery disease, a complication of diabetes after exposure to Agent Orange in Vietnam.

The report found claims agents denied the vet’s $21,857 claim incorrectly, finding bottom line the veteran’s claim should have been granted.

It also cited another example of a veteran with diabetes whom had a leg amputated.

The report claims the office granted the vet’s $14,103 claim despite his file clearly explaining the veteran did not meet the necessary criteria for benefits.

Inspectors found most of the problems were the result of bad bookkeeping. Others were due to outdated government forms. Still other mistakes were credited to poor employee training.

The report read that not all the mistakes were made at VA’s Roanoke regional office, but some other regional offices.

So far no one from the Roanoke regional office will comment on the report."