Medical Records Collection Being Sped Up by VA

During the course of the past year, the Department of Veterans Affairs has launched a series of new technological initiatives to improve its management of disability compensation claims. Part of this effort includes the recently announced pilot program to reduce the amount of time it takes the VA to secure health care records from private physicians.

"We are committed to harnessing the best technology and the brightest minds in the government and private sector to ensure Veterans receive the benefits they have earned," says Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki in a press release.

Currently, it takes the VA an average of 40 days to process disability compensation claims. Through this new project, the VA hopes to cut that time down to seven to ten days. How will the VA do that? Using a private contractor. The private contractor will collect the health care records, transition those records into a digital format, and deliver the information securely to the VA.

According to the VA, this test project will include regional benefits offices in:

• Indianapolis, Indiana
• Jackson, Mississippi
• Anchorage, Alaska
• Portland, Oregon
• St. Louis, Missouri
• New York City, New York
• Phoenix, Arizona

Approximately 60,000 health records requests will be used in this pilot project.

For more information about the VA's efforts to speed up claims processing, refer to the Department of Veterans Affairs' Press Release: VA Testing Quicker Ways to Access Medical Records.

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