Noteboom The Law Firm

Bill To Improve Disability Claims Processing Passes Veterans’ Committee

September 23, 2010 - U.S. Representative Joe Donnelly (D-IN.) drafted the Rating and Processing Individuals' Disability (RAPID) Claims Act. The Act is designed to improve the Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) disability claims processing by improving both the speed and efficiency in which claims are processed. By voice vote the act passed out of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee under the Veterans' Benefits and Economic Welfare Act of 2010.

Donnelly believes the waiting times for veterans to have their disability claims processed are just too long. He touts his bill as being a very common sense solution to solving the problems in the claims processing system, which would help those veterans suffering from various disabilities get faster responses on their claims. The RAPID Claims Act seeks to realize four distinct goals.

First, the bill seeks to allow veterans to skip the claim development period. Veterans' claims, then, would have to be filed requiring no substantiating evidence. The bill seeks to do this by codifying the VA's Fully Developed Claim program.

Second, the Fully Developed Claim program would be amended to give the VA a heads up to expect a fully developed claim. This would, in turn, cement a date the veteran can expect disability compensation and would save time and energy attempting to gather evidence to support his claim.

Third, not all fully developed claims will be considered eligible for processing under this program. Should that occur, the VA will be required to notify the veteran of what is missing from the claim.

Finally, the bill mandates the VA provide veterans with appeals forms when they make any decisions on claims. This will cut down on time the veteran has to wait to file an appeal. Somewhere between 35,000 to 40,000 veterans appeal their disability decisions every year. 

Hopefully all of these changes will greatly improve the disability claims process and help veterans get the disability compensation they need a lot faster than the current system allows.