Date of Receipt of Claims and Mail Processing During the COVID-19 National State of Emergency
Audit · Department of Veterans Affairs OIG · 2020-09-17 · about Department of Veterans Affairs
Report
Title
Date of Receipt of Claims and Mail Processing During the COVID-19 National State of Emergency
Submitting OIG
Department of Veterans Affairs OIG
Component agency
Department of Veterans Affairs
Type
Audit
Publication date
2020-09-17
Summary
The OIG reviewed the Veterans Benefits Administration’s (VBA) processing of mail and benefit claims during the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, the review team examined whether VBA staff documented the date of receipt for benefits-related correspondence as required by new guidance during the national state of emergency and continued mail operations at VA facilities to ensure benefit claims were processed.
Recommendations (3)
#
Status
Text
1
Closed
Determine what additional actions are needed to make certain that staff understand how to accurately apply the most current guidance to the date of receipt recorded for claims received during the national state of emergency and implement those actions…
2
Closed
Conduct a review to ensure claims received and completed from March 1, 2020, had the correct date of entitlement applied.
3
Closed
Reevaluate guidance for the date of receipt recorded for claims without a postmark received during the national state of emergency.