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hi everyone thank you for tuning in to this cck update my name is Maura black
I'm a managing attorney at Chisholm Chisholm in Kilpatrick a recent report from the va's office
of the Inspector General or the oig found that the veterans benefits Administration or VBA has been
requiring veterans to attend unwarranted medical re-examinations to maintain their disability
benefits to set the scene let's briefly recap VA re-examinations in general veterans are required
to undergo a medical exam or a CMP exam as part of the disability benefits and rating process
however since disabilities can change over time either getting better or worse some veterans have
to undergo routine future exams or re-examinations via uses re-examinations to ensure that veterans
monthly compensation benefits are consistent with their current level of disability while necessary
re-examinations are important unwarranted re-examinations waste appropriated funds can
cause undue hardship for veterans and can reduce the efficiency and timeliness of claims processing
back in 2018 the oig found that VBA staff did not consistently follow its policy to request
re-examinations only when necessary in fact oig estimated that during a six-month review period
on warranted re-examinations were requested by claims processors in 37 percent of cases
costing about 10 million dollars this review evaluated whether VBA had demonstrated sustained
Improvement and followed its procedure since 2018. so what did the oig find in its March 2023 report
oig found that VBA has several opportunities to reduce unwarranted re-examinations throughout
its processes vba's stated policy is to request re-examinations only when they are mandated by law
otherwise every effort should be made to limit the number of re-examinations requested
however oig estimated that rating Specialists erroneously established re-examination controls
and about 66 percent of cases in other words 3149 out of 4754 including for veterans whose
disability was permanent and not likely to improve this is partly because VBA does not require a
rating specialist to cite objective evidence or provide justification for ordering re-examinations
something that VBA could easily remedy to avoid unwarranted exams
additionally vba's lack of defined criteria and ongoing training for claims processors has further
contributed to the ongoing problem of unnecessary exams the oig report estimated that claims
processors requested unwarranted re-examinations in about 44 percent of cases reviewed
until VBA strengthens its re-examination process it lacks assurance that veterans are
being required to attend re-examinations only when warranted and only when necessary under the law
in order to reduce or eliminate unwarranted re-examinations the oig recommended that VBA
update its guidance and information systems to require rating Specialists to cite objective
evidence and provide justification when ordering a re-examination additionally oig noted that VBA
should update its training materials and ensure that claims processors meet all
training requirements related to establishing and ordering Medical re-examinations VBA has agreed to
implement these changes but the oig will continue to monitor the process until it's satisfied that
all issues have been sufficiently addressed hopefully this report brings about positive
change for veterans allowing them to avoid unwarranted future examinations and subsequently
unnecessary delays in receiving their benefits that they've already been waiting for and pursuing
for a very long time thank you all for tuning in please be sure to check out our other videos
including another recent update on a separate oig report as always please don't forget to like And
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