“The Veterans Affairs Department had originally told Congress it would finish three-quarters of the IT upgrades it needs some time next month in order to implement a new, faster appeals process by the congressionally-mandated deadline by early next year.”
“But VA expects now it will have roughly 35 percent of its needed IT updates complete in August. The remaining upgrades will come in December, two months before VA is expected to fully implement its new appeals process.”
“Since Congress passed and the president signed the Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act into law last summer, VA is piloting and has seen some success with the new process, otherwise known as the Rapid Appeals Modernization Plan (RAMP).”
“Members weren’t immediately outraged by VA’s new timeline. But the tone may change if VBA misses the February deadline and must begin processing veterans appeals manually…” Read the full article here.
Source: VA says it’s ready for appeals modernization, but IT upgrades have fallen behind – By Nicole Ogrysko, July 24, 2018. Federal News Radio.
