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every chief of staff and military legislative assistant in both the House and Senate. He sent copies of the Military Times article along with MOAA’s publication Retirement About Face? explaining the potential down- sides of converting military retirement to a 401(k) system. MOAA believes these proposals by the MCRMC require further study. Before changing the retirement system, Congress must fully consider the second- and third- order effects on the all-volunteer force.

Claims Backlog T

Improves An integrated strategy results in significant progress.

he VA claims backlog fell to 194,000, a 68-percent reduc- tion from two years ago. In 2013,

the VA amassed over 611,000 disability claims. Quality of claims decisions has increased from 83 percent in 2011 to 91 percent today. The VA defines the backlog as initial claims that have waited at least 125 days for a decision. In 2014, the VA processed over 1.3 mil- lion claims, an increase of 150,000 over 2013. Even as demand continues to rise — measured in the number and complexity of claims filed — progress toward eliminating the backlog by the end of the year appears to be within reach. The progress is a result of a compre-

hensive, integrated strategy for improving the claims-management system. The strat- egy focuses on making correct decisions up front. Leading the transformation is the conversion of an antiquated paper-in- tensive management system to a paperless environment called the Veterans Ben- efits Management System (VBMS). Most

40 MILITARY OFFICER JULY 2015

claims now have been scanned into VBMS, with only 24,000 paper claims remaining in the system. Better training of disability raters and the use of online guidelines also have resulted in greater consistency in decisions. However, sustaining the momentum might be difficult. The VA has relied on mandatory overtime for claims workers to reduce the backlog. MOAA calls on the VA to develop a long-term manpower and administrative requirement plan. Deliv- ering this plan to Congress will ensure the claims system can keep pace with the demand over the next decade as veterans from the nation’s longest sustained con- flicts enter the VA system. A related challenge is the backlog of ap- pealed claims. When an initial claim is de- nied, veterans have the right to appeal to the Board of Veterans’ Appeals. These claims take an average of 1,000 days — almost three years — to adjudicate. MOAA and several service groups have endorsed the concept of a “fully developed appeal,” similar to the fully developed claim process that has measurably accelerated the initial claims process. In a fully developed appeal, a veteran could waive certain pro- cedural steps in order to fast-track a final decision by the board. At any time in the process, the veteran could opt back into the traditional appeals process. Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-Texas) and

House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chair Rep. Jeff Miller (R-Fla.) introduced legisla- tion to direct the VA to carry out a five-year program to provide an alternative process to determine appeals for disability claims more quickly. It’s too soon to tell whether the VA will eliminate the initial claims backlog this year. As progress on this elusive goal con- tinues, MOAA is pleased to see Miller and O’Rourke are leading creative efforts to re- duce the appealed claims backlog.