VA shifts survivors assistance office in effort to speed up benefits

They also promised ongoing improvements to”increase automation that will expedite survivors’ claims” in coming months as part of the effort.

In an open message to the veterans community, VA Secretary Doug Collins said the moves are designed to simplify the process and improve families’ interactions with the department.

“The last thing survivors need in their time of grief is frustrating red tape and bureaucracy,” he said in a statement. “That’s why we are creating a better system to more quickly and effectively provide survivors the services, support and compassion they’ve earned.”

The Office of Survivors Assistance was established in 2008 as a way to consolidate benefits for deceased veterans under a single agency. The office provides information on funeral resources, bereavement counseling and estate planning, as well as clarification on which veterans benefits continue after an individual’s death.

VA officials plan to move the office from the Veterans Benefits Administration to reporting directly to the VA secretary, with five full-time staffers advising department leadership on survivors benefits issues.

Along with the change, leadership announced plans to stand up a new “white-glove” survivor outreach team in the the Philadelphia VA Regional Benefit Office to “guide and assist eligible survivors throughout every step of the Dependency and Indemnity Compensation claims process, with the goal of getting to ‘yes’ on claims decisions.”

Survivors can be eligible for nearly $2,000 in monthly payouts from VA depending on their health and their veterans’ service-connected disabilities before death. But the calculations for the benefit can be overly complicated, with additions and subtractions for length of marriage, length of service and final military ranks.

That new team is scheduled to start work later this month, after personnel complete specialized training on survivor benefits issues.

Department officials said that they currently process more than 1,000 DIC payments or adjustments a day through automated systems. But they said they hope to expand that number in coming months, pending a review of the department’s claims systems.

Collins and other senior leaders have promised a host of cost-savings and department improvements through a series of reforms, many aimed at trimming personnel and bureaucracy within the department.

The efforts so far have generally earned praise from Republicans but concern from Democrats, who worry cutback will lead to slower response times and delays in services.

In a statement Monday, House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Mike Bost, R-Ill., praised the announcement.

“We have to keep pushing VA forward to meet the needs of veterans and their families,” he said. “Today’s action by Secretary Collins is in lockstep with that mission.”