VA scrubs review of disability claims, but orders another study of PTSD.

The VA has decided not to review the files of 72,000 veterans currently receiving disability compensation for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and will instead focus on improved training for claims workers. (See the November/December 2005 DAV Magazine.)

"The VA's decision is welcome news to veterans who deserve timely and quality decisions on their claims," said National Service Director Randy Reese. "The DAV had expressed concerns that reviewing those thousands of claims would put additional strain on the VA disability compensation system which still has a backlog of nearly half a million claims."

But just days after the Nov. 10 announcement that the VA would cancel the claims review, it was revealed that Secretary of Veterans Affairs R. James Nicholson had asked the Institute of Medicine (IOM) to conduct a two-pronged examination of PTSD.

The VA made no formal announcement about the IOM study, and the first word of it came from a Nov. 16 news release issued by Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee Chairman Larry Craig (R-Idaho).

According to the VA, an IOM committee will review the scientific and medical literature related to the assessment of PTSD and how accurate the current screening instruments are. Another IOM committee will study issues related to treatment and prognosis of individuals with PTSD. The second panel also will review the criteria used by the VA in determining the severity levels and compensation rates for PTSD.

The first committee will take six months to complete its tasks. The second committee, whose meetings will be open to the public and will accept public input, will take one year to complete its work. Final written reports will be published at the end of the study period for each of the two tasks.

"This latest move by the VA to have the IOM examine PTSD could have some serious implications for the disability rating system," said Reese. "It also raises questions about our government's policies and attitudes toward veterans suffering from PTSD."

Last May, the VA's Inspector General found inconsistencies in the way PTSD claims were decided, including cases that were approved though they lacked sufficient documentation in the files. The report also noted a significant increase in veterans filing for disability compensation for PTSD since 1999. Those findings and concerns about potential fraud prompted the VA to order the massive review of PTSD claims.

However, a thorough review of some 2,100 PTSD claims cited in the Inspector General's initial study showed problems with those files "appear to be administrative in nature, such as missing documents, and not fraud," according to Secretary Nicholson.

"In the absence of evidence of fraud, we're not going to put our veterans through the anxiety of a widespread review of their disability claims," Nicholson said. "Instead, we're going to improve our training for VA personnel who handle disability claims and toughen administrative oversight."

"The VA's announcement that it will address the training and accountability problems in the benefits delivery system is a positive step," said Reese. "The DAV welcomes the opportunity to work with the VA to ensure the accuracy and timeliness of claims decisions. However, the DAV also will keep a close watch on the Institute of Medicine review and will continue to advocate for fair and just compensation and treatment for veterans with service-connected disabilities related to PTSD."