VA plans for wave of new GI Bill claims

[unhappycamper]

VA plans for wave of new GI Bill claims
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Nov 18, 2008 14:11:43 EST

Anticipating a tidal wave of GI Bill claims next summer when a new full-tuition benefits plan takes effect, the Department of Veterans Affairs plans to hire 400 people for its regional offices in a push that will begin Dec. 1 and have new staff on board to begin training by March 1.

The Post-9/11 GI Bill, which takes effect Aug. 1, is so generous compared to existing benefits that VA officials are preparing to deal with an estimated 526,000 benefits claims next year, said Keith Wilson, director of VA’s education service.

Wilson, testifying before a House subcommittee that is concerned about whether VA will be ready, said initial plans to use a completely automated claims process have not worked out and that most claims will be manually processed, with help from a computer program to help make sure all necessary information is available.

Wilson described manual claims processing as a “throwaway” solution that would be abandoned as soon as an automated system is ready. He expects that to take up to two years more.

Wilson did not say what would happen to the 400 new hires after the automated system is available, but members of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee — who have been monitoring startup problems — said they expect the claims workers would be transferred to other duties, because VA also has a large backlog of disability benefits claims that need to be tackled.


Rest of article at: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/11/military_va_gibill_111808w/%2e

[midnight]

1. Somehow I would think that keeping people employed at this

time would be more important and humanitarian. The new system that will throwaway the old one propbably doesn't account for any error rates in working with it. Eventually the humans will have to be brought back to interpret the new. But what the heck get rid of these jobs.