Veterans Benefits
Administration
Disability Compensation Claims Process
Shelly L. Peterson
Assistant Veterans Service Center Manager
Nashville Regional Office
Women Veterans- Statistics
 There are 1.8 million Women Veterans, representing 8
percent of the U.S. Veteran population.
 12 percent of those who have served in the current
overseas contingency operations are Women.
 Over 250,000 Women Veterans are receiving
compensation or pension benefits.
 15 percent of all awards of service-connection were to
women.
Source: Department of Veterans Affairs, VetPop07, and Defense Manpower and Data Center,
unpublished data as of 30 September 2010. Compiled by the Women’s Research & Education
Center
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VA Disability Compensation
Purpose of Program
Compensate Veterans for disabilities caused by injuries or
diseases that happened while on active duty, or were made
worse by active military service.
Key Principals
• Compensates for average impairment of earnings capacity
• Disability evaluations are assigned at 10% increments
from 0 to 100% levels of disability
• Monetary amounts determined by Congress
• Additional special evaluations (Special Monthly
Compensation) are associated with higher levels of
disability
• No time limit for filing claims
• Compensation payments are tax-free
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Requirements for Service Connection
Three requirements for a grant of service connection
1. An in-service event (incurred or aggravated),
2. A current condition, and
3. A medical nexus establishing a link
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Means of Service Connection
 Direct
 Aggravation
 Secondary
 Presumption
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Key Components of the Claims Process
•Receipt of Claim – Receive and establish control of claim.
•Development – VA has a statutory duty to notify a Veteran
of the evidence needed to substantiate the claim and a
duty to assist a claimant to gather evidence. This includes
obtaining all supporting evidence, keeping claimant
informed, and ordering VA examination, if necessary.
•Decision – VA rater will review pertinent evidence to
decide service connection, level of severity of disability, and
other ancillary benefits.
•Notification – Notify Veteran of the decision
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Claims Process Cycle Times (as of 4-23-12)
Claim
Received
Claim
Controlled
Process averages:
13.6 days (National)
7.5 days (Nashville RO)
Process averages:
212.4 days (National)
116.2 days (Nashville RO)
Evidence
Gathered
Process averages:
72.5 days (National)
6.3 days (Nashville RO)
Claim
Decided
Process Decision and Notify Veteran:
19.8 days (National)
8.5 days (Nashville RO)
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Veteran
Notified
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VBA Statistics (as of 4-23-12)
• National Pending Rating Workload –
865,781
• National Average Days Pending –
242.9 days, 141.0 days (Nashville RO)


Strategic Goal – 125 days
Nationally, 66.3% of inventory pending
over 125 days.
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General VBA Assistance for Women Veterans
• Rating Schedule provides disability compensation for
service-connected gynecological and breast disorders
• Additional Special Monthly Compensation for loss, or
loss of use, of creative organ and loss of 25%, or more,
of breast tissue
• Benefits to children of Vietnam Veteran Women, based
on herbicide exposure, for spina bifida and other birth
defects
• Every VA regional office has Woman Veterans
Coordinator
Veterans Benefits Administration
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VBA Assistance for Combat Related Disabilities and PTSD Claims
• No difference in VBA evaluation of female and male Veterans
regarding combat related physical or mental disabilities
• Women or men diagnosed with PTSD by VA psychiatrist or
psychologist based on fear related to hostile military or
terrorist activity can provide a lay statement to establish
stressor, if consistent with places, types, and circumstances
of service.
• In 2008, more than 48,000 Women Veterans screened
positive for MST.
• There are over 4,700 Women Veterans service connected
for sexual assault/harassment
Veterans Benefits Administration
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VBA Assistance for Non-combat PTSD Claims Based on Personal Assault or
Military Sexual Trauma (MST)
• When women claim PTSD based on personal assault or
MST, VBA will develop for supporting evidence in
military records and also from outside sources such as:
• Law enforcement, counseling center, and hospital reports
• Statements from family, friends, and clergy
• Indications of behavior changes are sought such as:
• Requests for unit transfer or deteriorating work performance
• Substance abuse, depression, anxiety, or unexplained economic
problems
• If the available evidence is not sufficient, VBA will
schedule an examination by a trained medical expert to
provide an opinion regarding the credibility of the
claimed assault or sexual trauma.
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Growth of Claims
Key Factors
• Hairy cell and other B-cell leukemias, Parkinson's disease,
and ischemic heart disease presumptives for Vietnam
Veterans
• Improved and expanded outreach
• Current Overseas Contingency Operations
• Benefits Delivery at Discharge (BDD), Initial Disability
Evaluation System (IDES) and Quick Start
• Combat Related Special Compensation (CRSC) and
Concurrent Disability Retired Pay (CDRP)
• Aging of Veteran population
• More Veterans on rolls results in more reopened disability
claims
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Increasing Complexity of Workload
• Multiple conditions claimed (especially with new
claims)
• Types of disabilities claimed – chronic
progressive disabilities (e.g. diabetes,
cardiovascular, TBI)
• Progression of disabilities as Veterans age
• Court decisions
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VBA Transformation- Goals
By 2015:
• Process all claims in less than 125 days
• 98% quality
• Eliminate Veteran homelessness
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VBA Transformation- Initiatives
• Integrate claims process with electronic data and services
(paperless claims-processing, eBenefits)
• Increased focus on quality (inter-rater reliability studies,
Quality Review Teams, Evaluation Builder)
• Simplify notice requirements (Simplified Notification
Letter)
• Improved processes (Intake Processing Center,
Segmented Lanes and Cross-Functional Teams)
• Improved technology (Veterans Benefits Management
System, rules-based applications, Unified Desktop)
• VA/DoD Collaboration (pre-discharge claims, data
transfer, seamless transition, Disability Evaluation
System, etc.)
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Women Veterans Coordinator
Nashville Regional Office
Donna Pate
6156-695-6141
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QUESTIONS?
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