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By: FEDweek StaffThe VA is not cutting off compensation and pension benefits as required from veterans who have felony arrest warrants against them from federal or state law enforcement, an inspector general report has said.
The IG said that the VA initially interpreted a 2001 law containing that requirement to affect all such warrants but in 2012 told its regional offices to hold off further actions while it reconsidered that policy. In 2014 the VA determined that the requirement applied only to referrals indicating escape, flight, or violation of the conditions of probation or parole.
However, the VA never processed cases that arose in the meantime and more recently, it did not process nearly half of cases referred to it in 2019 and 2020. Many of those cases, some 4,600 in total, were referred by the IG’s office itself, which has access to warrant information maintained by the National Crime Information Center.
Further, where the VA did act to cut off benefits, many of the notification letters were missing required information such as the reason for the issuance of the warrant, it said.
VA management concurred with recommendations to improve monitoring procedures, review unprocessed felony referrals and assure that the notice letters include required information.
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