WASHINGTON — The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Department of Defense (DoD) announced plans recently to use the Pentagon’s DiLorenzo TRICARE Clinic to test the feasibility of an automated physical exam and claim process.
Building on the success of the Benefits Delivery at Discharge (BDD) program established at the clinic in April 2002, VA and DoD are working to develop the automated tools and software to enhance the process.
A jointly-sponsored initiative, BDD is helping service members to file for and receive VA service-connected disability compensation benefits more quickly than in the past. The program was established to help military members transition back to civilian life and ensure the continuity of care to those members retiring or being medically separated from military service.
VA now develops claims and conducts physical examinations for military personnel prior to their discharge, thereby reducing the average number of days necessary to process a claim.
As VA and clinic staff worked to establish the BDD program at the Pentagon site, they also discussed the possibility of linking existing software applications to support an automated exam and claim process. This would allow data from the clinic’s electronic physical exam tracking system (ePETS) to be transferred to VA, further streamlining the process and shortening the time it takes for veterans to receive their disability compensation.
“In addition to having their examinations conducted prior to discharge, we also wanted examinations conducted under VA protocols. This way, the servicemember is not lost between the two systems,” said Daniel L.Cooper, VA’s Under Secretary for Benefits. “When veterans filed claims for disability compensation after they left the service, it often took months to secure their clinical records from the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis and then additional months to rate their claims.”
A study of the Navy and Marine Corps separation exams in 1994 found 75 percent of the examination reports were insufficient for the purpose of VA disability ratings. VA needed
an examination process that followed the requirements of the Rating Schedule so veterans didn’t need to be called back for another examination after their discharge from service. The BDD examinations are now conducted either by VA medical centers, contract medical examiners, or DoD examiners according to VA examination protocols.
Today there are 128 military installations actively participating in the BDD initiative. This includes 42 Air Force, 38 Navy, 30 Army, nine Coast Guard, eight Marine Corps sites, and one mixed command. Bases where the initiative is now active accounted for 72% of all separations in the USA in FY 2000.
During FY 2001, 22,524 BDD claims were finalized. Of that number, there were only 83 known ‘Notices of Disagreement’ (NODs). During the first quarter of FY 2002 6,202 BDD claims were finalized of which there were only 24 NODs. The VA Regional Office, Washington, D.C. has received 37 claims from the DiLorenzo Tricare Health Clinic at the Pentagon.
The VA regional offices involved in the program report veterans have been very satisfied with the improved service. VA and DoD believe the BDD program is one of the most successful examples of joint cooperation between VA and DoD.
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