Bill Overview
Title: Expediting Temporary Ratings for Veterans Act
Description: This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to modify its information technology systems to provide for the automatic processing of claims for temporary disability ratings for specified veterans (i.e., those who have a service-connected disability that requires hospital treatment or observation for a period in excess of 21 days). In providing for the automatic processing of claims, the VA must ensure that (1) medical evidence is obtained from its corporate data warehouse, (2) VA employees continue to determine eligibility for a temporary disability rating for the specified veterans, and (3) claims may be processed manually if the evidence of record is not sufficient to decide the claim or if the medical evidence is provided in an incompatible format.
Sponsors: Rep. Rosendale Sr., Matthew M. [R-MT-At Large]
Target Audience
Population: Veterans requiring temporary disability ratings due to service-connected disabilities needing extended hospital stays or observation.
Estimated Size: 75000
- The legislation concerns veterans with service-connected disabilities.
- It specifically affects those veterans who require hospital treatment or observation for periods longer than 21 days.
- The VA is responsible for disability ratings, so the bill targets veterans in the United States.
- The automation of processing claims could potentially expedite the timeline for veterans receiving temporary ratings, thus impacting a significant number of veterans whose claims previously had longer processing times.
Reasoning
- The target population consists of veterans with service-connected disabilities requiring extended hospital stays. This is a relatively small yet significant group within the total veteran population.
- The policy implies improvements in the speed and efficiency of processing claims for temporary disability ratings, potentially leading to improved outcomes in wellbeing for veterans due to quicker access to benefits.
- We must consider a diverse range of veterans in terms of age, occupation, and location, acknowledging that not all veterans will be impacted by the policy but may still have thoughts on its implementation.
- A current estimate of 75,000 veterans potentially impacted implies a meaningful but balanced distribution of impacts from none to high effects given the finite resources and gradual implementation of IT changes.
- With benefits being expedited, we anticipate a reasonable improvement in self-reported wellbeing scores under the policy condition due to quicker access to support and reduced administrative stress.
Simulated Interviews
Veteran, currently unemployed (Texas)
Age: 34 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 5
Duration of Impact: 5.0 years
Commonness: 10/20
Statement of Opinion:
- This policy could really help people like me who are in and out of the hospital.
- Dealing with slow claims processing is an added stress when you're already dealing with a health issue.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 5 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 5 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 5 |
| Year 20 | 7 | 5 |
Healthcare worker (California)
Age: 45 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 3.0 years
Commonness: 5/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Faster processing would lessen the financial burden while waiting for benefits.
- It's one less bureaucratic hurdle, which is always welcome.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 10 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 5 |
Retired (Florida)
Age: 60 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 4
Duration of Impact: 4.0 years
Commonness: 7/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I've been dealing with the VA for a long time; speeding things up sounds good on paper.
- I just hope they have enough support to actually do it.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 5 | 4 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 4 |
| Year 3 | 6 | 4 |
| Year 5 | 6 | 4 |
| Year 10 | 6 | 4 |
| Year 20 | 5 | 4 |
Student (New York)
Age: 28 | Gender: other
Wellbeing Before Policy: 5
Duration of Impact: 5.0 years
Commonness: 8/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Being able to get temporary ratings faster feels like it would smooth my transition considerably.
- Dealing with the VA takes a while, so anything that cuts down on that time is helpful.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 5 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 5 |
| Year 20 | 7 | 5 |
Technical Support Specialist (Ohio)
Age: 52 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 5
Duration of Impact: 4.0 years
Commonness: 6/20
Statement of Opinion:
- It's encouraging to see steps taken to improve the system, especially for temp ratings.
- This should help those of us who regularly need hospital treatment.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 5 |
Entrepreneur (Washington)
Age: 38 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 4
Duration of Impact: 5.0 years
Commonness: 4/20
Statement of Opinion:
- A streamlined process is exactly what we need to maintain some stability.
- It's hard to plan financially when claims are delayed.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 4 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 4 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 4 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 4 |
| Year 10 | 6 | 4 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 4 |
Retired teacher (Illinois)
Age: 67 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 2.0 years
Commonness: 9/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I'm skeptical because the VA often takes a long time for change to truly materialize.
- Still, I hope younger veterans benefit from this.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 5 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 10 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 6 |
Civil engineer (Virginia)
Age: 32 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 5
Duration of Impact: 3.0 years
Commonness: 8/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Everything that cuts down processing time is welcome, especially when you're trying to balance civilian life.
- This could help in coordinating my life better.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 3 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 5 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 10 | 5 | 5 |
| Year 20 | 5 | 5 |
Artist (Georgia)
Age: 40 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 4
Duration of Impact: 5.0 years
Commonness: 5/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Streamlining the VA process could relieve a lot of anxiety over finances.
- Many veterans I know have faced long wait times, hopefully this helps.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 4 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 4 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 4 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 4 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 4 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 4 |
Freelancer (Colorado)
Age: 50 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 5
Duration of Impact: 4.0 years
Commonness: 6/20
Statement of Opinion:
- The hassles with current processing times have been very frustrating.
- This bill sounds like it could really change things for veterans like me.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 5 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 5 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 5 |
Cost Estimates
Year 1: $150000000 (Low: $100000000, High: $200000000)
Year 2: $120000000 (Low: $80000000, High: $160000000)
Year 3: $100000000 (Low: $70000000, High: $130000000)
Year 5: $80000000 (Low: $60000000, High: $100000000)
Year 10: $50000000 (Low: $35000000, High: $70000000)
Year 100: $2000000 (Low: $1000000, High: $3000000)
Key Considerations
- The upfront cost for IT system modifications is substantial, but long-term savings are predicted from increased efficiency.
- Impact on veterans is potentially significant, leading to faster and more accurate payment processing.
- Unexpected challenges in IT integration can lead to higher costs.
- The need for continued training and adaptation by VA staff must be considered.