Inspection of the VA Regional Office Columbia, South Carolina

We conducted this inspection to evaluate how well the Columbia VARO accomplishes this mission. We found the Columbia VARO staff followed the Veterans Benefits Administration’s policy for establishing dates of claim, processing incoming mail, completing Systematic Analyses of Operations, and correcting errors identified through the Systematic Technical Accuracy Review program. VARO performance was generally effective in processing post-traumatic stress disorder claims and handling mail. The VARO lacked effective controls and accuracy in processing some disability claims. Inaccuracies processing temporary 100 percent disability evaluations occurred because staff did not schedule future medical reexaminations as required. Inaccuracies related to traumatic brain injury claims and herbicide exposure-related claims resulted from inadequate quality assurance. Overall, VARO staff did not accurately process 33 (32 percent) of the 104 disability claims reviewed. We also noted the VARO did not meet the 7-day standard in recording Notices of Disagreement for appealed claims. However, the VARO’s processing timeliness for Notices of Disagreement was 73 days less than the national average. We recommended VARO management implement controls to improve its quality review process for traumatic brain injury and herbicide exposure-related claims processing. The VARO Director concurred with our recommendations.