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VA Office of Inspector General
Claims storage filing area at the VA Regional Office in Winston-Salem, N.C.
The Department of Veterans Affairs has been dogged for years by complaints that the claims process is painfully slow. Now, a recent inspection by the VA Office of Inspector General shows exactly how difficult it can be to physically manage the volume of those cases.
At the VA's Winston-Salem Regional Office in North Carolina, an estimated 37,000 claims folders had been stored on top of file cabinets, according to the Inspector General's report released last week. Those piles had been stacked two feet high and two rows deep. The file cabinets were so close to each other that drawers could not be opened completely. More files had been stored in boxes on the floor and stacked along the wall.
Related: 110-year-old widow of WWI veteran gets big VA pension boost
A load-bearing study found that the weight of the files exceeded the floor's capacity by 39 pounds per square foot.
"The excess weight of the stored files has the potential to compromise the structural integrity of the sixth floor of the facility," said the Inspector General report. "We noticed floors bowing under the excess weight to the extent that the tops of file cabinets were noticeably unlevel throughout the storage area."
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Inspectors found that the filing system had created an "unsafe environment" for employees; one worker suffered a minor shoulder injury in 2011 when folders fell from a filing cabinet. The filing system also put the records at risk, potentially exposing them to fire and water damage as well as loss and misplacement.
The inspection of the office was conducted in May as part of a nationwide effort to evaluate regional offices.
The Winston-Salem Regional Office, with 680 employees, serves more than 770,000 veterans in North Carolina. The state is home to six military installations, including Fort Bragg and Camp Lejeune, which rank sixth and eighth, respectively, in the largest number of discharges in the country.
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Staff at the office began having trouble storing files in 2005 when that location, as part of a national initiative, started collecting and processing disability claims prior to a service member's discharge. The office was one of two regional centers in the country to handle such cases, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs. Staff tried to transfer or retire 50,000 files in recent years, as well request more storage space. The office was denied extra room because of a lack of money and few external storage options.
Courtesy Winston-Salem Regional VA Office
Filing cabinets at the Winston-Salem Regional VA Office in a photo provided to NBC News on August 14, 2012.
In June, after learning that the floor load exceeded capacity, the office removed all folders sitting on file cabinets and placed them on separate floors. The office also intends to purchase a high-density file system for the basement, which will cost an estimated $405,000.
"We are on track to comply with (the report's) recommendations," the Department of Veterans Affairs said in a statement to NBC News.
VA is working with the Department of Defense to create an integrated electronic medical record that could be used between both agencies, but it will not launch until at least 2017.
Rebecca Ruiz is a reporter at NBC News. Follow her on Twitter here.
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In private industry the computerization of all these records would have been instituted a decade or more ago. As an earlier poster said - the GSA has many extra buildings (and plenty of money to spend on trips to Hawaii). In a corporation, the funds would have been reallocated to where the need was greatest.
Government agencies are headed by Appointees who may or may not have any management and administration skills or vision. In addition, many gov't workers know they won't be fired so there is no real incentive to go above and beyond. This is just a snapshot of what is wrong with our Fededral Government.
An example of pvt vs govt operations is illustrated by USAjobs.gov. It had been contracted out to Monster.com and worked very well for years. Then the gov't decided they could revise it, run it themselves and make money off the departments that use the service. Since the government took over in Oct 2011 it has been plagued with problems, is less efficient and less user friendly. Just sayin'....
I would agree with you, but what "private industry" handles veterans benefits?
The VA generally takes care of those who have been wounded in combat, or are recent veterans in need of medical care, or are military retirees in need of medical care. No private insurance company offers that for free.
Active service members and their families are covered by Tricare, which is indeed contracted out to private firms for its administration. Here in the Northeast, Tricare is administered by HealthNet, Inc.
I do believe that the government should contract-out VA benefits the same way it does Tricare benefits, but the current problem is that the VA budget is a fantasy of minimalism. It is grossly insufficient to cover the VA's basic operating expenses. Computers cost money. Archiving data costs money. Even hiring employees to do the work costs money. You can't cut the budget year after year, then complain about a lack of improvement.
I would say however, that hiring a private contractor would force Congress to accept a realistic cost estimate. If no one will provide the service, they will be forced to pay what it is worth.
$405,000 to create a storage facility for 770,000 individuals' records. Given room for expansion, at the rate citys think about it, i'd say they're planning on storing close to 1 million files down there. Print is so wonderful and hastle free.
Tell me about it. I applied for disability two years ago (September 2010). When I passed the one year mark -- they told me at the beginning that it would take that long because Congress had directed the VA to take care of Agent Orange claims first -- I was told that the Agent Orange issue was taken care of and that I would have a decision on my claim "soon". Well, I call them once each month and all I get is that my claim is "in the decision making process". I honestly suspect that what they're waiting for, since they know my health situation, is for me to simply drop dead and then they can throw out my application and save a a little time and few bucks.
Hey GOP, here's a novel idea: The government can create thousands of long term, temporary jobs (where workers can, at the least, buy into health care) to scan these files into a comprehensive database which begins with a comprehensive medical history and identifies current health needs.
What's that? Oh yes, you don't want Obama to get any credit!
Lets get real! They can't tell me that it is going to cost over $400,000 for an electronic file program. Hell the technology is already on the shelf. For $200,000 I could supply them with a centralized storage system where they could scan complete folders in a manner of minutes. and still pocket $50,000. Another example of waste.
I suffered a massive stroke in 2008, I recovered physically very well, but I get tired easily, I have problems swallowing from time to time, I don't have great balance...so the VA in their infinite wisdom decided to grant me 10% disability. I appealed the decision 22 MONTHS ago. As of last week, my status is "appeal pending" indicating that I have filed an appeal, but nothing has been done yet. I can cut back my duties, but I can't because I can't cut back on 10% disability. And this is what the VA facility looks like? Something is not working...
Hang in there brother. My prayers are with you. Don't ever give up. Fight the good fight until your last breath.
Or how about hiring people to sort through the mess and organizing it? This is a problem and plenty of people could use a job if only on a temporary basis.
I am 50 been fighting the VA for 20 plus years. I am not surprised at all. I have seen my C file and it is over one foot thick. No one at the BVA will ever read my file that is why I have yet another C&P exam this month. I have seen the C&P doctors 4 time in the last three years for the same thing. I had bi-lateral testicular cancer. They did bi-lateral orchiectomies (they removed both testicles). The want me to see the C&P doc's for "status post orchiectomies for testicular cancer". Really I guess that they think that I am a lizard and I can some how grow them back. This is why they are backlogged so badly. The people working at the BVA have no medical background just a bunch of admin and legal people. They could have Googled my condition and save my C&P exam slot for another vet. No they want the Doc's to play with my junk again.
On average it takes 2 years to get a claim reviewed. Now I know takes most of that time just to find someones file. The VA is overworked and understaffed.. There is no urgency to increase productivity as more benefits will have to be paid out. There are vets sitting home with serious injuries and medical conditions waiting to have their case reviewed. Perhaps the Honchos at the VA are waiting for the vets to die off. That will cure the backlog and reduce payments. Its what was done with tobacco and asbestos.
I have been waiting years on my claim. Incorrect information or someone elses claim info. is sent to my house. Its a joke when they talk about medical privacy and then errounously send me other veterans claim info on several occasions. Hey Dan from Mahwah, just so you know. Your claim for PTSD has been denied. Of course you will not know because they sent me your denial. If you dont survive its OK. You dont get any money but your family gets a nice flag.
This situation is a national disgrace. Illegals do better then Vets. The VA is all lip service. Why should there even be a need for things like the wounded warrier project!! Its time Congress and the Senate acted on this shameful situation or get sent home. Please contacy your representative and put their feet to the fire. Vets who are able, we need to go to Washington and let them know how bad things are.
I am walking the same path as you my brother. One of the major problems is Congress and the VA sub-committees they make the policies that the VA functions under. The change the rules every year (they call it policy improvements). What a joke. They are the root of the problems with the VA. I am not defending the BVA they are as much to blame as anyone. Don't let you elected officials feed you a line of bull. They make the policies to save the tax payer money and make you and I think that they have our back. BULL****
I will be 54 this year, and my record/file is three folders thick, and growing. I opened a Healthyvet on line, and now i can view my file anytime i want. I can also leave messages for my providers, which comes in handy at times.
The VA is woefully under funded. This should never happen! The VA is a soldiers lifeline. I served my government, but my government refuses to serve me. How sad is that? The red tape, the hoops i have to jump through to get help, it amazes me. The Dr.s tell me their hands are tied. I believe that! I expected so much more for serving this great nation, I guess i should be thankful for what i do get?
Most VA facilities are struggling to keep up with the demand, and i have to give them high marks for their effort!
This is why Obama is pushing the DoD and VA to digitize the medical records but the two departments are refusing to work together. It is the usual Civil Service job protection game as always.
PS at VA they do not want to hire Vets we might upset their comfortable lives.
This is the way veterans are treated? Tell me we aren't ready to collapse as a nation.
They sacrificed all for the 1%. Heroes.
What I would like to know is... of the 37,000 claim folders that are being stored on top of the cabinets, which have been reviewed and acted upon? This is not a new issue. The VA is considered to be the worst in claims handling. Most Vets are short changed, even if the injury occured in service. However, many claims have been filed for injuries which surface years after Honored Service. They need to mirror how the Social Security Admin processes claims. You submit evidence, get your claim processed within 45-90 days. The VA is taking up to 2 years now to adjudicate claims. That is not acceptable. As a former Adjuster, it is very difficult to process and work on claims when caseloads are in excess of 300+. The Va needs to focus on this and fix it.
Locate all the empty warehouses and closed factories you can, now cut the budget and do nothing for four years, then after the election do nothing for four years, then after the election do nothing for four years ...
The veterans pass away slowly, but Congress never does, they have moved on to the next electiion, and the one after that ...
Looks like it's time for another forty year fire.
If it weren't such a massive bureaucracy, I would suggest an electronic record keeping system. HOWEVER, as the saying goes:
"To error is human, but to really screw up requires a computer".
Just ask the IRS.
Better buy more filing cabinets and one less helicopter.
"The office was denied extra room because of a lack of money and few external storage options."
So congress denied available funds to the VA's office.
I was UNEMPLOYED for SIX @!$%#ING MONTHS when I left the service, because CONGRESS DENIED MONEY TO THE VA'S OFFICE?!?
Obama AND Romney can kiss my grits. God damn retarded politicians. BOTH THOSE MOTHER @!$%#ERS WERE IN CONGRESS! WHAT THE HELL ARE WE PAYING TEM FOR!
Oh dear, my husband retired 1/1/12 after 28 years in the AF. He had his VA medical exams in Sept of 2011. His records are now being reviewed at the Winston-Salem Regional Center. Now I know why they keep pushing the date back by a couple of months every month on when he'll finally getting his rating. Latest date is no later than April, 2013. But since it's the about the middle of the month, that date will probably be pushed back to May, 2013, any day now. Good thing he has a copy of all his records.
The Congress of the United States of America is a D I S G R A C E. They take care of themselves and let the vetrans, those who fight and shed blood for our country go by the wayside. Absolutely DISGRACEFUL. And this communist, socialist/marxist, muslem, pro-queer illegal can go to hell. There is NOT one fit to be called American. I think we should take up arms AGAIN! ! !
I'm with ya brother, this country NEEDS a second revolution!!
I have worked for the goverment and I can tell you that no goverment agency is well run, not because of the people who do the real work but because of the adminstrators who would rather form committes, do studies and pay for studies to be done reporting on the effectiveness of studies. Most goverment employees have just gotten tired of fighting a losing battle.
I bet obamas new IRS agents have plenty of room to work!
Freddy4life; your last sentence pretty well sums it up! But you were way to kind to the HMIC!
Speaking from experience, most government employees start out caring about their jobs and really try to work with a very messed up system. I started out that way, but I have begun to realize that common sense and the government way are polar opposites. No government agency is well run, it can't be. Its like working for a business that gets taken over every four years. Every time there is an election all the new appointees want to re-do everything. The problem is that nothing gets finished and even if it does, it will be changed again in four years.
Anyone that has the time go to the Department Of Veterans Affairs Website. It takes a great deal of time to dig though all the information on there to get to the bottom line about various matters. But it is very interesting. Being a veteran I expected much better care then I have received over the years. The price of war doen't end after a war ends. Millions of veterans deserve the best treatment possible from Uncle Sam. aka United States Department of Veterans Affairs. A story I have heard from veterans over the years is the VA stalls as much as possible in caring for a veterans needs hoping the veteran will die thus saving the government big bucks. True or Not is debateable.
I'm 52, been in the VA Health system about 3 years after I took early retirement.. my entire medical records were/are digitized at Loma Linda Va.. they know how to get it right. I can also pull up my entire file online at myhealth.va.gov .. not ALL VA health centers are run by incompetent boobs like the one in this story.
I have visited VAMC and VA clinics over decades the end results ranged from ok to being refused needed medical care. The one I was reused at when it was suspected I had Lung cancer Many years ago.The latest was unauthorized heart surgery which I have been pushing for over six years with no results.