VA launches system to fast-track some Agent Orange claims

Despite early development problems, the Veterans Affairs Department has turned on a new system to speed processing of claims from veterans exposed to the Agent Orange herbicide in Vietnam.

The system, developed by IBM, was ready just in time to start handling claims on Oct. 30, the date a 60-day congressional review period of new VA rules on Agent Orange claims ended. The Congressional Review Act requires agencies to wait 60 days before they make major changes to regulations.

Using the new tools, veterans can file claims online faster than they could have through the traditional paper process. The system also showcases a set of simple disability forms for physicians to fill out.

The technology and forms cover only three of 15 Agent Orange-related illnesses: ischemic heart disease, hairy cell and other chronic B-cell leukemias, and Parkinson's disease. VA will continue to handle claims for the other 12 Agent Orange-related illnesses through a more complex system.

The department assumes the 2.6 million veterans who served in Vietnam from 1962 to 1975 were exposed to Agent Orange and expects more than 150,000 of them to submit claims in the next 12 to 18 months. Paying all the claims will cost $13.4 billion, according to the Senate Appropriations Committee.

IBM built the Agent Orange Fast Track Claims Processing System around VA's Form 21-526EZ. The online version of the form includes on-screen instructions and tips; the system provides immediate feedback if claimants enter incorrect data. If veterans already have been treated at VA medical facilities, then they can readily identify those hospitals on the form.

The system also allows veterans to upload supporting documentation, including proof of service in Vietnam and medical evidence they have been diagnosed with one of the three conditions, and submit it along with the claim. Veterans less comfortable with the new technology still have the option to fill in Form 21-526EZ offline and mail, or fax it to VA.

Gerald Manar, deputy director of the National Veterans Service for the Veterans of Foreign Wars, said the organization has urged VA to develop a fast-track processing system for disability claims for years. The Agent Orange system is "an encouraging step in that direction," he said.

VFW will be watching the new Agent Orange system closely to ensure veterans receive the right disability decisions, Manar added. "If VA does this right, tens of thousands of veterans will obtain approval more quickly than ever before for treatment and compensation for the debilitating effects of potentially life-threatening disabilities caused by their service in Vietnam," he said.

Paul Sullivan, executive director of Veterans for Common Sense, also applauded the fast-track system as a tremendous step forward for VA to reform its antiquated, paper-bound system. He said he would like to see an updated system set up to handle all disability claims.

IBM won the $9.1 million Agent Orange claims processing system contract this July, and by late August, VA Secretary Eric Shinseki had become so frustrated with the company's lack of progress he personally called IBM chairman Samuel Palmisano to express dissatisfaction. To further goad the company, VA in September issued a request for a second bidder to develop the Agent Orange claims system.

The high-level call from Shinseki and the request for a second bidder pushed IBM to put development on a truly fast track, said a source familiar with the process, who declined to be identified.

VA did not respond to a request for an interview on how the fast track system was developed and how it works.