VBA Did Not Ensure Complex Appeals Were Decided by Appropriate Staff

Veterans can appeal a VBA compensation benefits decision. Decision review operations centers (DROCs) are responsible for appeals processing. DROC staff must be designated and trained to decide complex appeals. This review assessed a March 2022 hotline allegation that a DROC was not designating or training the appropriate staff to decide complex appeals. After reviewing three samples of complex appeals, the OIG substantiated that some staff from each of the three DROCs did not meet all requirements and estimated that 1,200 complex appeals were decided by undesignated staff. The OIG found that VBA’s Office of Administrative Review did not monitor completed appeals to ensure they were decided by designated staff and further estimated that 400 complex appeals were assigned by the work routing system to undesignated staff because the system required manual updates for staff designations. The OIG made four recommendations to the acting under secretary for benefits.