Bill Overview
Title: Modernizing Department of Veterans Affairs Disability Benefit Questionnaires Act
Description: This bill requires that all disability benefit questionnaire data collected by persons other than employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in the course of VA medical disability examinations must be transmitted to the VA in a machine-readable format.
Sponsors: Rep. Nehls, Troy E. [R-TX-22]
Target Audience
Population: People undergoing VA medical disability examinations
Estimated Size: 8000000
- The bill is aimed at modernizing how disability benefit questionnaire data is handled by the VA.
- The target population directly affected by this bill will primarily be veterans undergoing medical disability examinations for VA benefits.
- These veterans may include individuals from any service branch who rely on VA for disability evaluations.
- The bill involves data collected by non-VA personnel, which implies that it might also impact private healthcare providers handling such data for veterans.
- Indirectly, the bill might affect families of veterans who depend on timely and accurate processing of disability benefits.
Reasoning
- Given the policy target, the main affected group is veterans undergoing disability evaluations, which might include those with ongoing claims or new claims.
- The impact will largely depend on how smoothly the data interchange improves or affects the speed and quality of the evaluations.
- Some veterans may experience no difference if their evaluations are already timely and accurate, while others might see improvements, particularly in areas with historically slower processing times.
- Age, service branch, and whether a veteran resides in a more rural area might influence the extent of the impact.
- Providers involved in administering these questionnaires and handling data will have adjustments in workflow and may incur costs to comply with new standards.
Simulated Interviews
Retired Army Veteran (Colorado Springs, CO)
Age: 68 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 5
Duration of Impact: 10.0 years
Commonness: 5/20
Statement of Opinion:
- The process can be quite slow and frustrating sometimes, so anything to speed it up would be welcome.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 20 | 7 | 5 |
Health Care Provider (Fayetteville, NC)
Age: 34 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 7
Duration of Impact: 5.0 years
Commonness: 3/20
Statement of Opinion:
- It's crucial to make data handling more efficient for the benefit of clients.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 10 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 6 |
VA Disability Claims Officer (Los Angeles, CA)
Age: 50 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 8
Duration of Impact: 20.0 years
Commonness: 10/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Better machinery and processes can really streamline our work, reducing claim backlogs.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 9 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 9 | 7 |
| Year 3 | 9 | 7 |
| Year 5 | 9 | 7 |
| Year 10 | 9 | 7 |
| Year 20 | 8 | 6 |
Retired Air Force Veteran (San Antonio, TX)
Age: 39 | Gender: other
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 5.0 years
Commonness: 5/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I am hopeful that the process improvements will reduce waiting time.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 20 | 7 | 6 |
Surviving spouse dependent on VA benefits (Jacksonville, FL)
Age: 73 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 4
Duration of Impact: 10.0 years
Commonness: 15/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I depend on timely processing of benefits to cover my living expenses.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 5 | 4 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 4 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 4 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 4 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 4 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 3 |
Retired Marine Corps Veteran (Phoenix, AZ)
Age: 65 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 7
Duration of Impact: 10.0 years
Commonness: 6/20
Statement of Opinion:
- If it means fewer errors and quicker results, I'm all for it.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 3 | 9 | 7 |
| Year 5 | 9 | 7 |
| Year 10 | 9 | 7 |
| Year 20 | 8 | 6 |
Active Duty Navy (San Diego, CA)
Age: 28 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 5.0 years
Commonness: 3/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I hope this helps my claim process faster, as I need these benefits soon.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 5 |
Private Healthcare Provider (Nashville, TN)
Age: 55 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 7
Duration of Impact: 10.0 years
Commonness: 7/20
Statement of Opinion:
- This will help streamline reporting and improve service outcomes.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 20 | 7 | 6 |
VA Administrator (Seattle, WA)
Age: 62 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 20.0 years
Commonness: 2/20
Statement of Opinion:
- The automation of data fills me with optimism for an increased claim processing speed.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 9 | 6 |
| Year 5 | 9 | 6 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 20 | 7 | 5 |
Veterans Advocate (Chicago, IL)
Age: 48 | Gender: other
Wellbeing Before Policy: 7
Duration of Impact: 10.0 years
Commonness: 8/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Ensuring accurate and timely data transfer can really help the population we serve.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 6 |
Cost Estimates
Year 1: $50000000 (Low: $30000000, High: $70000000)
Year 2: $40000000 (Low: $20000000, High: $60000000)
Year 3: $35000000 (Low: $15000000, High: $55000000)
Year 5: $30000000 (Low: $10000000, High: $50000000)
Year 10: $25000000 (Low: $5000000, High: $45000000)
Year 100: $10000000 (Low: $1000000, High: $25000000)
Key Considerations
- Successful integration with existing VA systems is critical to realize the efficiency and cost-saving benefits.
- The VA must collaborate effectively with third-party providers to ensure the machine-readable data format is adopted consistently.
- Cost evaluations must also account for potential system downtime or transitional inefficiencies during implementation.