Military and Veterans Disability System: Worldwide Deployment of Integrated System Warrants Careful Monitoring

In summary, DOD and VA concluded that, based on their evaluation of the pilot as of February 2010, the pilot had (1) improved servicemember satisfaction relative to the existing "legacy" system and (2) met the established goal of delivering VA benefits to active duty and reserve component servicemembers within 295 and 305 days, respectively, on average. However, 1 year after this evaluation, average case processing times have increased significantly, such that active component servicemembers' cases completed in March 2011 took an average of 394 days to complete-99 days more than the 295-day goal. In our prior work, we identified several implementation challenges that had already contributed to delays in the process. The most significant challenge was insufficient staffing by DOD and VA. Staffing shortages and process delays were particularly severe at two pilot sites we visited where the agencies did not anticipate caseload surges. The single exam posed other challenges that contributed to delays, such as disagreements between DOD and VA medical staff about diagnoses for servicemembers' medical conditions that often required further attention, adding time to the process. ; Testimony before the Subcommittee on National Security, Homeland Defense, and Foreign Operations, Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, House of Representatives