Claim task force head says years needed to cut backlog.

When VA Secretary Anthony J. Principi was appointed in 2001, he found the veterans benefits system was sinking under hundreds of thousands of backlogged claims and heading for the bottom. He sent out an SOS-to retired Admiral Daniel Cooper last April to head a task force to find a way to keep the claims processing system afloat.

A veteran of the Navy's Submarine service, Adm. Cooper is accustomed to getting things done the right way, the first time. In the silent service, second chances are few. In an interview with DAV Magazine, he expressed confidence that the recommendations made by the Claims Processing Task Force last October would meet the goals of cutting the backlog by 50% over two years and reducing processing time by 50% during the same period. (See the Nov./Dec. DAV Magazine.) That's a tall order for the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) when the backlog is 668,000 claims and growing.

"Adm. Cooper was the leader of the task force which was charged with identifying ways to allow VA's employees to spend more time on processing claims, improving the basic claims process, enhancing accountability at all levels, and emphasizing and encouraging all VA offices to attack the problem of claims backlogs," said DAV National Service Director Kenneth D. Wolfe, who served on the task force. "He led the effort in making 34 recommendations to streamline the claims processing system. Some of those recommendations can be accomplished within six months while others will take two years."

Now that the task force report is completed, Adm. Cooper works as a consultant at the VA Headquarters in Washington, D.C. But the implementation of the recommendations remains a driving issue because backlogged claims continue to mount.

"The claims processing system is obviously not in good shape, but not because people are doing wrong things," said Adm. Cooper "There are so many steps and so much variety that it is difficult to get consistency and productivity across the entire VA. Unfortunately, because of many changes in the last several years, which were certainly needed, you have a disparity in how people work at different regional offices. And that should be corrected to the maximum extent possible so that all regional offices are doing it the best way possible in their situation. There cannot be a cookie-cutter approach, but the programs used have to be the same."

Adm. Cooper says there's no one recommendation that will eliminate backlogs. "What is needed more than anything else is a confidence in the tools that are being used, a dedication of purpose by everyone in the organization, a consistent training program that gets everybody up to speed as soon as possible, and a product that is consistent across the entire VBA," he said. "The terms I like to use are trust and professionalism, and it all depends on people. We are here to serve the people and the organization. The leadership is here to help VBA personnel do the job properly with good tools and a degree of inspiration."

The DAV will play a large role in helping resolve the claims backlog problem. Adm. Cooper said a training program like that used by the DAV for National Service Officers will enhance the claims process. "It is exceptional in comparison to other training programs of that type," he said. He added that there is "no doubt" that the professionalism and expertise of DAV NSOs help veterans get claims through in a timely fashion.

"The DAV appears to me to be extremely dedicated to doing it right and therefore developing the best product it can," he said. "It looks to me that people would really like to emulate what it is DAV does."

But Adm. Cooper believes that resolving the vast claims backlog will depend on great leadership. "Secretary Principi is the one who is giving absolute priority and giving the people at VBA the authority to do whatever is necessary to correct this problem," he said. "I think right now you have very good leadership in (Acting Under Secretary for Benefits) Judge (Guy) McMichael and (Acting Deputy Under Secretary for Benefits) Stan Sinclair. They were extremely involved in our task force. They are fully convinced that we came up with very good answers, although not all the answers, and they are dedicated to doing it right."

"I think there is no doubt that the VBA realizes what its number-one priority is -- get the claims problems fixed," Adm. Cooper said. "I think VBA is in an ideal situation to do just that. Everybody recognizes the problem; everybody realizes there are things that can be done to solve it; and everybody is being held accountable to do their part."

Even though claims backlogs have been studied before, Adm. Cooper deeply believes that a change is coming. "I feel that the organization is a professional organization that, with the proper pulling together as a group, should be able to get on top of this problem," he said. "What I cannot predict is the amount of time it will take until most people are satisfied."

Adm. Cooper couldn't predict the results of the task force recommendations because of so many variables. "We will not institute all of those changes simultaneously. That would exacerbate the situation," he said. "Some of the recommendations have been implemented, but you have to make sure you implement them properly to help the system rather than hurt the system."

In moving ahead with the recommendations, he said the VA "is doing it in absolutely the right way because the people who are responsible are the leaders in VBA. All I did was make a report. It's easy to make a report and say these things are all messed up, but the guy who has to implement them has to ensure that he doesn't hurt the situation through lousy implementation."

One key ingredient Adm. Cooper is counting on most is the professionalism and expertise of VBA employees. "Beyond any shadow of doubt, everybody wants to do the right thing," he said. "The VBA employees are dedicated to doing the right thing. But just like people everywhere, there is a wide variety of how anybody does their job, as well as how people are trained and led. So the important thing is to help everybody do the best job they can and get consistency, good quality, and the proper productivity."

There is some concern that the Claims Processing Task Force recommendations will become just another in a long line of reports that are placed on a shelf to gather dust. Adm. Cooper said that would not happen with this report. "I will guarantee you it will make a difference," he said. "This is a report that within a few weeks we will be able to say look, this is every single recommendation and this is every single action we have taken, and here are a couple we felt should be modified for this reason and therefore we are doing these things. You bet, I think this will eventually stand up."

Another concern is that Congress could pass laws that would further erode the claims process. Adm. Cooper hopes that lawmakers will wait to see how the task force recommendations are working. "I'm hopeful that no one will try to jump in and do things that will impact the recommendations we have made and the execution of them, because if we get more changes on top of what we are doing now, you will never be able to see the effect of what you did," he said. "We have got to allow the things that we are trying to do to settle down and determine what is the next thing we have to do to help. I would ask that Congress hold off and allow us to monitor and report to them what we are doing."

Now that the recommendations have been made and the report submitted to Secretary Principi, Adm. Cooper said there is one central theme in the report-accountability by VBA claims staff. "Every aspect of every recommendation that has to do with accountability is what is important because people must be held accountable for the job for which they are responsible," he said. "That doesn't mean that if a guy makes a mistake that you cut off his leg or hit him over the head. It goes back to the organization. When you find errors, then you help the guy learn how to do it better."

Much depends on the success of the task force's final report. In many ways, the pride and reputation of the VA is at stake-a possibility that Adm. Cooper recognizes. "I took this task as a professional challenge, but more than that is an idealistic approach to some things in which I believe very strongly. They are the military, the veteran, and helping people," he said. "I feel very strongly that you could do much more with teamwork than you can with some single individual standing up and yelling out orders."

"If VBA is going to be successful in this, all of VA must work together, along with all the veterans service organizations and individual veterans, to make the system work properly to serve the veteran and our country," he said.