VA is continuously making efforts to improve the care and benefits and conditions for our nation’s Veterans. Among those is the continuous effort to improve VBA’s disability compensation process, including Medical Disability Examinations (MDE).
VBA has published a SOURCES SOUGHT/REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) for a potential MDE. The MDE contract is VBA’s mechanism in determining the extent of a Veteran’s disability and the disability rating that is warranted. Veterans know these as “compensation & pension exams,” or “C&P exams.”
In light of recent national events, and of those surrounding the current contract and a changing marketplace, VBA has extended its published RFI on beta.sam.gov.
With the RFI, VBA is seeking industry guidance to help it gather feedback on how to improve the current MDE conditions and contract, and to ensure that the current conditions are in alignment with industry best practices. Through this RFI – and to ensure the broadest stakeholder input in the development of the national research strategy – VBA is seeking input from as many organizations as possible.
VBA hopes this effort will provide relevant research from across the nation, as well as the ability to measure progress on these efforts via improved care for Veterans.
Responses due soon
The RFI closes on June 14, 2020, at 10 AM ET. Responses from all interested companies are welcome – including both large or small organizations.
Justin Cole is a contract specialist for VA’s Strategic Acquisition Center, Office of Acquisition, Logistics and Construction
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I have not yet received my Disability Compensation Check on 1 June 2020 as I usually do.,Are they late being mailed again?.
The extremely long time it takes to get C&P exams is unfair to veterans with remanded claims..
Claims remanded by the BVA are supposed to be given expeditious treatment.
The VA has remanded my claim 5 (five) times and the Court of Veterans’ Appeals remanded it once.
My claim was never given expeditious treatment.
The last remand was remanded January 1, 1999. All that was needed was a confirmation of the doctor/s reports. Seventeen months and no exam and reply, and no expeditious treatment.
Over the course of my many years of waiting for a decision where I had already had a C&P Exam, when my claim was next to be decided I was informed that the C&P Exam was too old, and I had to get another one. More years of waiting.
It has been reported that non remanded claims are being granted in fewer than 100 days.
Is this equal treatment of veterans?
It seems the VA is dragging their feet long enough for the veterans to die and drop the claims.
[Editor: Claims cannot be remanded. All claims receive a decision. If the Veteran disagrees with the claim decision, s/he can appeal the decision. Remands only happen for some appeals, and only for those in the old legacy appeals process. That process is closed to new appeals. A “remand” simply meant that VA could not make a determination on the appeal, and so it was remanded, or sent back, to the level of office from where it came for more work. Not all claims and appeals need a C&P exam. Those are ordered by the rater when s/he needs clarification or a medical opinion when a question arises. When it is needed, it is usually at the end of the process, and generally precedes a decision.]
The length of time to get a medical examination is unreasonably long. When a veteran is in their 80s and given an expedited status as I am; and can’t get results within a year as it deals with an appeal, the system is failing. We served our country with honor but cant get the respect that we deserve.