Departing VA secretary laments benefit backlog

WASHINGTON - Departing Veterans Affairs Secretary Jim Nicholson acknowledged yesterday that he was struggling to reduce backlogs in disability claims from Iraq war veterans, saying current efforts would not be enough to cut down waits that take months.

Addressing Congress for a final time before stepping down Oct. 1, Nicholson also pointed to persistent problems between the Pentagon and Department of Veterans Affairs in coordinating care for veterans and urged Congress to embrace proposals by a presidential commission to fix gaps.

"They have some very good ideas in there," he said.

Nicholson's testimony to a House Veterans Affairs Committee painted a mixed picture of a VA that has initiated measures to boost mental-health and other care but has struggled to keep up with growing demands due to a prolonged Iraq war.

Nicholson, who took office in early 2005, said the department had hired 1,100 processors to reduce delays of up to 177 days in processing disability payments. But he predicted another rise in claims this year.

The increase, he said, is coming from Iraq war veterans as well as veterans from previous conflicts who were prompted to file for new or additional benefits amid the current public focus on war-related injuries in Iraq.

Even with new staff, the VA can only hope to reduce delays to 145 to 150 days - assuming that the current level of claims doesn't spike higher.

"The claims backlog is an issue that has bedeviled me and many that have come before me," he said. "In fact, VA can influence the output - claims decided - of its work product, but it cannot control the input - claims filed."

Nicholson announced in July that he was resigning. His appearance yesterday comes amid intense scrutiny after reports of substandard outpatient treatment at the Pentagon-run Walter Reed Army Medical Center and at VA facilities.

In recent weeks, injured veterans have filed a lawsuit against the VA alleging undue delays in health care. The VA Inspector General's Office also found the VA repeatedly understated wait times for injured veterans seeking medical care and in many serious cases forced them to wait more than 30 days, counter to department policy.

The report also concluded that Nicholson and VA Undersecretary for Health Michael Kussman earlier this year falsely reported to Congress that 95 percent of veterans' outpatient appointments - rather than 75 percent, as the IG found - were timely. The VA has challenged the IG's methodology and pledged to conduct its own study.

Nicholson also called for creation of a VA assistant-secretary position for acquisition and construction. On average, VA buildings are 57 years old, and the price of purchasing land, design, and construction of a hospital costs about $750 million.

"The magnitude of these numbers and the complexity of the acquisition process indicate that there must be the very highest levels of supervision and accountability," he said.

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