VBA Did Not Consistently Comply with Skills Certification Mandates for Compensation and Pension Claims Processors

This review examined how effectively Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) managers fulfilled the plan VA was required to submit to Congress for a skills certification program for claims processors. The program includes a required test to ensure staff have the skills, knowledge, and abilities needed to accurately carry out their tasks. The OIG found VBA did not meet the skills certification requirements for fiscal years (FYs) 2016 through 2019. Specifically, based on a statistical sample, the OIG estimated 4,700 of 10,800 individuals required to take the exam were not tested. The program also did not provide individual training plans to about 1,900 of the 2,500 employees who failed the test, or ensure that all staff who failed took the next scheduled test. Further, VBA did not take personnel actions against an estimated 98 percent of employees who failed consecutive tests after receiving remedial training. Several factors contributed to the identified issues, including an insufficient process for identifying and notifying those required to take the test and data limitations affecting tracking. In addition, VBA did not design tests for all employees cited in the plan. Testing was cancelled in FY 2018 because of intranet technical issues and in FY 2019 to assess the effectiveness of testing. The OIG made six recommendations regarding written guidelines for individuals required to or exempted from taking tests; a tracking mechanism for eligible test takers; updates to Congress on why not all claims-processing positions are subject to testing; plans to train staff who failed tests; an oversight plan to ensure individuals who failed consecutive tests were retrained; and notifying Congress of plans to take personnel actions against individuals who fail consecutive tests after remediation, as required by law.