Social Security Disability claim process is more efficient than the VA's

by The Major

At the request of both the Board of Veteran Appeals  and local VARO representatives, The Major applied for Social security Disability. The Major discovered  that  the Social Security Administration (SSA) has a more automated system.

First of all the SSA claim starts with a web based application for part 1 of the disability claim. After part one is completed, the claimant then meets with a local Social Security representative.

There is no need for a third party representatives such as the DAV or American legion. After part 1 of the application is completed, the SSA sends the claimant a letter that indicates the other SSA forms that need to be completed.

The claimant then turns in the additional paper work to the Social Security (SS) representative during the first scheduled meeting. All of the additional forms are Acrobat .pdf's that can be downloaded and completed with a word processor.

After The Major completed the application, he received two letters from SSA asking for additional information. He had to respond to the SSA on a form with a large bar code with his claim number on the first page.

The Major  was able to fax his responses directly to the SSA. He suspects the SSA fax machines imaged his fax and automatically put into my responses into a claim database that was indexed to The Major's  claim. The letters from the SSA made it clear that the unique bar code has to be on the first page of the fax.

Almost all of the correspondence sent to the Veterans Administration (VA) must be done by mail and if The Major has  to sent important information by certified mail with a return receipt. 

Neither the VA or DAV uses any web based application, Internet communication system or email. Veterans are not provided fax numbers either to expedite their claims. Americans now live in an electronic age and it is a shame that the VA is not more automated.

SSA also provides a confirmation number and web address so claimants can check on the status of the claim on the Internet. The VA does not offer this capability.

I have found the SSA disability claim process to be automated and more direct than the VA which has the claims process fragmented between the Appeals Management Center (AMC), the VA Regional Offices (VARO's), the VA Medical Centers (VAMC), third party organizations like the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) and other state VA offices. There seems to be a lot of redundancy in the VA claims system.

Rather than "reinventing the wheel,' the VBA might wants to look closely at the SSA disability claims process. My first impression is that is a lot more efficient and streamlined than the archaic system the VBA uses. 

Perhaps a larger question: Does both the SSA and VA need separate government disability claims systems? Could the SSA be made the executive agency for all disability claims. 

The SSA could be made the executive agency for all government disability claims 

If so, the government would be able to eliminate the VA Compensation and Pension offices, a lot of VARO staff, and the contracts with local third party agencies like the DAV and the American legion representatives. 

Some of these VA staff would have to be transferred to the SSA because the VA gives disability ratings between 0 and 100 per cent and the SSA give disability rating of either  0 or 100 per cent.

The SSA's private physicians  should do a better job than the VA's C&P physicans. Rightardia will explain why in the next article what a veterans can do to protect themselves from any VA physical exam that is poorly performed.

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