Veterans' Benefits

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has taken steps to improve its processing of veterans' compensation claims for undiagnosed illnesses that resulted from their service in the Persian Gulf War. In July 1996, VA issued guidance requiring claims processors to provide veterans with clear and useful information on the kinds of evidence that could be used to support their claims, such as records of medical exams and time lost at work. The guidance also requires claims processors to properly consider this evidence and to thoroughly follow up on information that may support the claims. Also, VA decentralized claims processing last year to help speed action on Persian Gulf claims. Now, all 58 of VA's regional offices provide training to regional staff on processing the claims. Because VA only recently launched some of these initiatives, their full impact is unclear. However, GAO found that VA generally followed its procedures in readjudicating previously denied cases. For example, in all the cases GAO reviewed, VA provided veterans with a written description of the types of evidence that they could use to support their claims. As a result of its readjudication of denied claims, VA has granted benefits to eight percent of the veterans whose claims were denied previously for undiagnosed conditions.

GAO noted that: (1) VA has taken steps to help improve its processing of Persian Gulf claims; (2) specifically, in July 1996, VA issued guidance to help ensure that procedures for processing Persian Gulf claims are followed by requiring claims processors to provide veterans with clear and useful information regarding types of evidence that could be used to support their claims; (3) such evidence includes records of medical exams and time lost at work; (4) the guidance also requires claims processors to properly consider these pieces of evidence and thoroughly follow up on information that may support the claims; (5) also, to help improve the timeliness of VA's actions on Persian Gulf claims, in May 1997, VA centralized the processing of those claims from 4 to all 58 of its regional offices and began providing training to regional office staff on processing the claims; (6) because VA only recently began some of the initiatives to help improve the processing of Persian Gulf claims, the full impact of the initiatives is uncertain at this time; (7) however, GAO's follow-up review indicates that VA, for the most part, has followed its procedures in readjudicating the previously denied cases; (8) for example, in all the cases GAO reviewed, VA had provided veterans with a written description of the types of evidence Persian Gulf veterans could use to support their claims; (9) as a result of VA's readjudication of denied claims completed to date, VA granted benefits to about 8 percent of the veterans whose claims were previously denied for undiagnosed conditions; and (10) benefits could include compensation or medical care.