The secretary-treasurer for the American Federation of Government Employees, J. David Cox, argued on behalf of the union at the hearing that inadequate training and confusing performance standards contribute to inconsistent decision-making and called for the establishment of a joint labor-management team to develop a formal national training plan.
Cox called for developing trainers with formal skills and greater subject matter expertise, rather than typically hiring a “mid-level or senior VSR who has not had formalized instruction on training” — arguing that employees who attend the VBA Academy are more likely to learn from experienced trainers but that not all do so.
VSRs need to be rotated through each of the teams handling pre-determination, post-determination, triage, and appeals to improve their ability to handle a full array of claims effectively as well as pass the certification test, Cox said.
“Stakeholders need a voice in developing and monitoring the certification testing process and production quotas,” he continued, adding, “Flawed training and performance standards lead to processing delays and more appeals, and most importantly, impact every veteran filing a claim with VBA.”
