Despite concerns from lawmakers, Veterans Affairs officials are moving ahead with plans to outsource nearly all compensation and pension exams in coming months, a move they believe will improve service for Veterans.
“This is just the evolution of the process,” said Under Secretary for Benefits Paul Lawrence in an interview with Military Times last week. “Right now, contractors are already doing the bulk of them. We think the value of having contractors available to do them is flexibility and the ability to surge.”
The compensation and pension exams are a key part of the process for Veterans to receive disability benefits. In most cases before payouts begin, VA requires some type of review by a medical expert to confirm a Veteran’s injuries and the severity of its impact.
Before the coronavirus pandemic, about 25 percent of those exams were conducted at VA medical centers or health clinics. When many of those were partially shuttered due to virus prevention efforts, the backlog of C&P exams swelled to more than 350,000.
Lawrence said as of the start of November, the Veterans Benefits Administration has erased most of that backlog and now sits at pre-pandemic service levels. Only about 15 percent of the exams are handled by VA health staff now, with the rest outsourced to private-sector contractors.
He sees that remaining the norm as the department moves forward.
“The Veterans Health Administration is still dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic, so the question is what is the best use of those doctors in terms of helping Veterans?” he said. “That’s the kind of balancing act we’re looking at.”
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