“We’re going to have a dip in production that will then ultimately come back up,” Jacobs said. Want to stay up to date with the latest federal news and information from all your devices? Download the revamped Federal News Network app However, the agency anticipates its claims backlog will temporarily increase as takes on its additional workload under the PACT Act. VBA completed a record high of 1.7 million total claims in fiscal 2022. Jacobs said VBA processed over 390,000 total claims for benefits in fiscal 2023 so far, about a 13% increase compared to where the same period last year. VBA is keeping up its hiring initiatives and rolling out automated support tools, to stay ahead of the surge of PACT Act claims. That is critical for us to be able to make the right decision the first time we process the claim,” Jacobs said. Jacobs said VBA completes about 5,000 hours of training on any given day. This is a complex business, but we also need to train our current employees,” he said.Įach employee receives about 15 hours of training on PACT Act claims. “We know that it takes a while to train new employees. Jacobs said VBA started PACT Act training for its workforce at the beginning of December, and that the agency has trained about 50-60% of the total workforce so far. “We’re continuing to build on that foundation and delivering more benefits more quickly to more veterans,” Jacobs said.īeyond recruiting and hiring, Jacobs said VBA is focused on training all its employees on how to handle PACT Act claims. The agency hired over 2,000 employees last year in anticipation of its growing workload under the PACT Act. VBA is looking to hire thousands of new employees this year and implement additional automation tools to process benefits claims faster than ever. VBA also plans to host a national hiring event in early February to interview and onboard more employees. In addition to the agency’s 1,900-employee hiring goal, Jacobs said VBA is “actively working to hire more” employees, and plans to bring another approximately 2,500 employees by the end of FY 2023. The agency has also conducted 959,000 toxic exposure screenings of veterans, and nearly 39% have reported a concern about toxic exposure. The VA, to date, has received 213,000 PACT Act-related claims for benefits since Biden signed the legislation in August. We’re excited to implement the PACT Act and we want you to apply now so that we can deliver the care and benefits that you deserve and have earned,” Jacobs said. “The bottom line is we want to send a message to veterans that we’re ready. The agency, he added, has already completed onboarding steps for about 40% of its target workforce. Jacobs said VBA is using new PACT Act authorities and funding to hire an additional 1,900 employees in the first half of fiscal 2023. Pick up insights and lessons learned from cloud leaders at DHS, GSA, NOAA and SEC in our new Executive Briefing. Insight by Verizon: Data center optimization efforts paved the way for cloud adoption and hybrid evolution across government. The legislation, signed into law by President Joe Biden in August, is expected to bring an additional 3.5 million veterans into VA care.Īcting Undersecretary for Benefits Josh Jacobs told reporters in a late December briefing that the Veterans Benefits Administration is “actively working to hire more” employees through fiscal 2023. The legislation, signed into law by President Joe Biden in August. 1 started processing all claims submitted under the PACT Act, which enables a historic expansion of eligibility for VA health care and benefits. The Department of Veterans Affairs expects to keep growing its benefits division’s workforce through the end of the fiscal year, now that it’s able to tackle a trove of veterans’ claims that’s been growing since the summer.
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