VA Disability Benefits: Additional Planning Would Enhance Efforts To Improve The Timeliness Of Appeals Decisions

On March 21, 2017, the United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) released this report.  The report examines the U.S. Department of Veteran's Affairs' (VA) approaches to address challenges it had identified as contributing to lengthy appeals processing times, and the extent to which those approaches are consistent with sound planning practices. GAO found that gaps in the VA's planning exist, and determined that the VA must increase staff, expedite and streamline its reform process for appeals decisions, and update its technology . . .