Veterans' Benefits: Status of Claims Processing Initiative in VA's New York Regional Office (Briefing Report, 06/17/94, GAO/HEHS-94-183BR). The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) recognizes slow claims processing and poor customer service as critical concerns. Claims processing time is increasing as are claims backlogs. In 1993, more than 500,000 claims were pending in VA regional offices nationwide. One of the most highly publicized initiatives to reduce claims processing time and improve service to veterans and their families is the restructuring of the claims processing system in VA's New York Regional Office. In May 1993, the regional office began processing a quarter of its claims in a prototype unit. This new unit differs substantially from the traditional "assembly line" organization used by the rest of the New York office and most other VA regional offices. This briefing report determines (1) how the operation of the prototype unit differs from the traditional operation in New York, (2) how VA is assessing the effectiveness of the prototype and how the prototype's performance compares to the rest of the New York office's, and (3) what plans New York has for expanding the use of the prototype. --------------------------- Indexing Terms ----------------------------- REPORTNUM: HEHS-94-183BR TITLE: Veterans' Benefits: Status of Claims Processing Initiative in VA's New York Regional Office DATE: 06/17/94 SUBJECT: Claims processing Veterans benefits Federal agency reorganization Cost control Work measurement standards Human resources training Personnel management Claims adjudicators Cost effectiveness analysis IDENTIFIER: National Performance Review Hammer Award New York ************************************************************************ We regret that the full text of this item is presently unavailable. See the GAO FAQ - Section 2.0 for printed copy ordering information. The FAQ is automatically retrieved with all WAIS search results or can be obtained by sending e-mail to: [email protected]