Office of the CTO - Digital Experience (OCTO-DE), VBA Regional Office, Facilities
Date: 12/23/2022
Dave Pickett [email protected]
Table of Contents
- Background
- Findings & Recommendations
- Appendix
7 Veteran Benefit Administration (VBA) Regional Office (RO) facilities will be involved in the launch of the Minimal Viable Product (MVP) for publishing VBA facility information in Drupal starting in early 2023.
The MVP will give the designated CMS editors a basic set of functionality to publish information about their facility operations on VA.gov so Veterans can successfully plan their next visit and perform other key tasks.
The Public Contact staff at these facilities provide front-line support to Veterans. We interviewed a sample of Public Contact staff to better understand the Veteran experience and service delivery models at the MVP Regional Office sites.
Our goal was to understand from the perspectives of the Public Contact staff:
- Service delivery model for the facility (or group of facilities) for a geographic area
- Common tasks Veterans attempt to complete during in-person visits
- The typical Veteran experience (successes, expectations, frustrations, complaints) at these facilities
-
What benefit-related services are offered at these facilities?
- How do services differ by benefit types?
- Are any services shared across benefit types (e.g., updating contact info)?
- Are all services available consistently throughout the week?
- Do any services require referrals to other facilities?
- Are there any services unique to this region/facility?
-
What tasks do Veterans typically try to accomplish during an in-person facility visit?
- What are the most common tasks they complete?
- What are the least common tasks?
- Can these tasks be accomplished other ways (phone, web)?
- If so, why do Veterans do this task in-person?
- How complicated are these common tasks?
- How do Public Contact Staff assist Veterans in these tasks?
- Any regionally specific needs (e.g., state or region specific support, translation)?
- Any problems?
- Tasks unable to complete
- Tasks that Veterans usually get hung up on
- Frustrations expressed by Veterans
- How frequently are these problems encountered?
-
What is the typical Veteran experience when visiting these facilities?
- Typical wait times?
- Busier days or time?
- Appointments vs. walk-ins?
- Common frustrations? Complaints?
- How Veterans usually arrive at the facility? (drive, public transit?)
- How long does it take for a Veteran to travel to a facility
-
What do Veterans need to know or do to be adequately prepared for a visit?
- Does this differ by service?
- Could they have found that information on the website?
- Most common thing Veterans are missing?
- Semi-structured interviews
- Remote via Zoom
- Spoke to 12 participants total representing the 7 MVP regions
- Length of time working for the VA
- 2 - 9 years = 7
- 10 - 19 years = 3
- 20+ years = 2
- Job titles included:
- Legal Administrative Specialist = 5
- Veteran Service Representative = 3
- Coach = 2
- Not specified = 2
- 6 Regional Benefit Offices
- Albuquerque
- Anchorage (located inside a VAMC)
- Boston
- Houston (located on a VAMC campus)
- National Capital Region
- San Juan
- 2 Satellite Offices
- Guam
- Saipan (no presence in Facility Locator)
- 1 VAMC outreach location (part-time)
- Raymond G Murphy VAMC in Albuquerque
- From the Albuquerque RO teamsite:
-
In addition, we have staff at the Raymond G. Murphy VA Medical Center on Tuesdays/Wednesdays/Thursdays from 8am-3:30pm. They are located in the Eligibility department by the main entrance.
- Regardless of the specific facility type, the places where Public Contact staff interact with Veterans and beneficiaries will be referred to as Public Contact Offices for this report
- The existing VBA service taxonomy does not accurately reflect the breadth of benefit-related tasks that can be accomplished at Regional Benefit Offices
- TRUE - The current taxonomy has clear omissions, misleading terms, and lacks nuance
- A more robust VBA service taxonomy could increase Veteran self-service and help Veterans be fully prepared for visits to Regional Benefit Offices
- NOT ENOUGH INFORMATION - This would depend on implementation and should be evaluated during usability testing
- The typical Veteran experience at Regional Benefit Offices is generally positive
- FALSE - Insofar as the Veteran experience is correlated with concrete metrics such as wait time for an appointment, there is significant variance across facilities so there is no "general" experience. Proximity to a VAMC (e.g., same building, same campus) seems to increase both wait times and the mismatch between services expected and services available.
Services, benefits, & tasks
- Services at Public Contact Offices can be categorized in four distinct ways: benefits, tasks, documents, beneficiaries
- Public Contact staff are primarily equipped to assist with the benefit of disability compensation
- Public Contact staff primarily assist with the task of applying for benefits
- Providing beneficiaries official documents is a significant function of Public Contact Offices
- Few (if any) services require a Veteran to be physically present at a Public Contact Office
- Public Contact staff provide a consistent set of services at multiple VBA facility types
Veteran experience
- A common source of Veteran frustration is a mismatch between services expected and services available at Public Contact Offices
- Veterans sometimes conflate the VBA with a centralized VA, VSOs, and other agencies
- There is little standardization in how Public Contact Offices handle appointments
- Wait times for walk-ins are primarily affected by facility location and staffing
Veteran preparation
- The documents and information needed to prepare for a visit varies by service
- Public Contact Offices may stop taking clients prior to the official closing time
This first group of findings relates to research questions 1 & 2:
- What benefit-related services are offered at these facilities?
- What do Veterans typically try to accomplish during an in-person facility visit?
1 - Services at Public Contact Offices can be categorized in four distinct ways: benefits, tasks, documents, beneficiaries
- Benefits (e.g., compensation, home loans, VR&E)
- Tasks (e.g., file a claim, check claim status, attend counseling session)
- Documents (e.g., award letter, commissary letter, DD-214)
- Beneficiaries (e.g., survivors, military retirees, caregivers)
- See the appendix for full lists of terms
Top three would be compensation, education, and pension. - P3
Filing a claim is a big one, and then checking the status. - P12
Most folks are looking for the tax letter. - P5
Survivors’ benefits is a big one. - P2
2 - Public Contact staff are primarily equipped to assist with the benefit of disability compensation
- Public Contact staff have end-to-end insight into the disability compensation process
- Can assist with many tasks: determining eligibility, filing claims, checking claim status, filing appeals, resolving payment issues, etc.
- 6/12 participants listed compensation in the top three most common services
- This also aligns with a finding from our previous Veteran research where 9/12 participants reported visiting a VBA office for a task related to disability compensation
- Public Contact staff have lost access to some data sources related disability compensation
90% of the Veterans coming in are concerned about "What’s my percentage and how much money am I getting?" - P7
Everyone understands that… this is where the money begins. Anything for money, they’re coming in. - P5
With Case Flow I can basically say, okay, this is where at, but I can't see why it's stuck in this position, whereas in the old system I had access to all kind of stuff. So I have to say, Hey, you're gonna have to call and speak to somebody at the BVA [Board of Veteran Appeals]. - P2
[VHA] can take money from their disability compensation for copays. So we have access to a link right now that's going away. It's the finance application which would let them know, hey, you have a debt, the hospital, you know, took it. - P7
- 9/12 participants listed “applying for benefits / filing a claim” as one of the top three most common services
- They are able to assist beneficiaries in applying for a wide range of benefits
- They have to refer beneficiaries elsewhere for support on follow-up tasks
We're there to help Veterans fill out applications. - P9
Probably filing new claims, you know, on the VA Form 21-526 EZ. Honestly, I could probably print 20 copies and go almost the whole week. - P10
I can hand them an application to fill out. But PMC [Pension Management Center] would be the one process and handle it. - P5
For education benefits we can't provide specific information to the customer. So we would have to refer them to an Education Call Center like Muskogee. - P3
- 6/12 participants listed “get a [benefit/award/tax] letter” as one of the top three most common services
- Sometimes they are printing new copies of documents that beneficiaries previously received
- Other times, a new document is being created
To get qualified for those funds from the City… they usually need that letter. The no-benefits letter, or the benefits letter. - P5
If they are a certain percentage, they get a letter where they can go to the commissaries on base and shop. We provide those letters. - P4
Requesting a letter, like an award letter. That's pretty common. - P11
5 - There are few (if any) tasks that require a Veteran to be physically present at a Public Contact Office
- During the COVID lockdown, any services that previously required an in-person visit were modified to have a virtual option
- There seem to be lingering perceptions that in-person visits are required
- Some beneficiaries prefer in-person (homeless, non-English speakers, older Veterans)
- Some sensitive tasks are better in-person (Military Sexual Trauma interviews)
- Some regions lack reliable internet access
- Veterans sometimes show up in-person for virtual appointments
We get a lot of the older veterans. The younger veterans who are computer savvy... they can do it online. - P8
I can't think of anything really physically where they would need to come in to the office. - P12
Sometimes they want it in their hands. - P2
A lot of the state does not even have accessible internet. - P9
They'll show up and tell the guards, "I have a 10 o'clock appointment." And they go, "No, that is virtual" - P10
I do the exact same thing that I do here. I just satellite at the hospital. - Albuquerque
We do have other clinics throughout the island. So, for for example, whoever is on the southern part, we have a clinic in that area. And actually we do have an employee that provides the same services that we do here. - San Juan
You know it's not that they're against their local office. It's just they they feel that because DC is the powerhouse that they're going to get any more. But what they don't realize in many cases is ultimately the very Regional Office they left to come up and see me, it's gonna go back to. - DC
I work closely with the public contact step in Honolulu and we're on email daily. We meet weekly, sometimes multiple times weekly. So, no, there's there's not a disconnect between this satellite office and the regional office... I would make sure that they understand that I represent the Honolulu Regional Office, and that, any issues that require any type of escalation they know contact the Honolulu Regional Office Public Contact. - Saipan
This second group of findings relates to research question 3:
- What is the typical Veteran experience when visiting these facilities?
7 - A common source of Veteran frustration is a mismatch between services expected and services available at Public Contact Offices
- Veterans expect Public Contact Offices to assist with every benefit service
- This aligns with a finding from previous research that Veterans expect Regional Benefit Offices to be “one-stop shops” for services
- VR&E Offices are separate from Public Contact Offices, but this is not clear to Veterans
- The National Call Center directs Veterans to Regional Offices for tech support that Public Contact staff aren't equipped to provide
A lot of people think that we are just the catchall and know everything at the Regional Offices. Then they get disappointed when we say, "Oh, we don't offer that service. Sorry you had to drive all the way in to be told that that service is not provided." - P12
On any given day at least 1 of my 6 appointments is really wanting to talk with the VR&E Counselor. - P10
We get a lot of people inquiring about VR&E but we don't have a system in place to be able to refer them through VERA - P9
People having problems with their VA.gov accounts. They are sending them to the Regional Office to get them fixed. We do not do that... The National Call Center is telling them to come to the Regional Office. The website is telling them to come to the Regional Office. The people at the hospital telling them to come to the Regional Office. - P8
[They] couldn't get into VA.gov, and after 3 tries it locks you out. So then you have to come into a Regional Office. That's what they're told on at the National Call Center. - P10
- Veterans expect the three branches to be "one VA"
- Veterans conflate VSOs and the VBA due to them both handling benefit claims
- Veterans aren't always sure what is overseen by the VA vs. the military
- This confusion is heightened when a VBA office is co-located with other agencies
But I think the biggest thing is veterans coming in just thinking you're just one VA. "How come you don't know this? How come you're not communicating?" - P9
"I reported my divorce to the hospital. How come you don't know?" - P11
We had to keep referring them to the National Cemetery. This office doesn't have the authority to exhume a body from a cemetery grave. - P12
They think we do the Veteran ID cards. - P2
If the person is looking for a VSO, they end up in the wrong place. - P5
They'll schedule an appointment to come talk to us about an appeal. Something where we can't represent them or tell them which lanes to use. It's got to be with their Veteran Service Officer. And that's who they think they're scheduling it with. - P7
We get a lot of veterans coming in and they think that we can update their DD-214 and we can't. - P4
Wanting to come over here to deal with their retired pay issues from the military. - P7
- Appointment only = National Captial Region
- Certain days & hours for walk-in, otherwise appointment only = Anchorage
- Walk-in only = outreach site Raymond G Murphy VAMC in Albuquerque
- Other locations expressed a mix of appointment and walk-ins
We've been getting probably thirty forty percent with VERA. - P5
90% walk in and then about 10% appointments. - P12
- Many locations reported very short wait times (10 min or less)
- Offices co-located with a VAMC expressed higher wait times due to high demand and limited staff
I would say, you know at most somebody will have to wait 5 or 10 min - P9
We don't typically have wait times unless we're down to one counselor. - P3
It's extremely busy and Veterans typically wait 30 min to an hour to see one of us. - P11
Unfortunately we've lost so many people to promotions, retirement, whatever. If they don't have an appointment, we might not be able to see them. We're gonna try and get them in, but they have to understand it might be a couple of hours. - P2
This third group of findings relates to research question 4:
- What do Veterans need to know or do to be adequately prepared for a visit?
- Having a valid photo ID and a DD-214 is helpful regardless of service
- Surviving spouses have to provide many different documents depending on the benefits they are applying for (e.g., marriage license, death certificate, funeral bill, first notice of death, receipts for medical expenses), and also need to know key details about the Veteran (e.g. effective date, branch of military service, disability rating)
- When adding or removing dependents, Veterans will need documents establishing their relationship (e.g., birth certificate, marriage certificates, divorce decrees) and also need to know key details about the dependent (e.g., social security number, birth date)
- eBenefits registration requires 2 forms of ID
- Civilian medical records can be helpful for supplemental claims
If they can't present us with ID there's nothing that we can do for them. - P11
Sometimes [surviving spouses] don't have that information. They just know that their spouse was in the military. And then they come and say, "I want to file for this," but they don't know anything about their spouse's military service. - P12
It's like, "oh, I want to add a dependent," but then they don't have their social security numbers, or remember birth dates. - P12
They want to bring in medical records that are outside the VA system, because then we can scan and upload them to the system instead of doing the medical release. -P6
They need to have an extra copy, because we're not going to copy the medical records while they wait. - P4
I say 8:00 to 3:00, so people at least will get up here by 3:30, and we can serve them properly. - P8
I try not to schedule anybody after 2:30. With traffic you invariably have people that will get there at 3:00. I'm still able to take them if they get there at 3:00. - P10
13 - eBenefits registration is a declining service
We do some of that. But I only have one person that can do it - P9
We used to, but it's slowly dying in our office - P12
14 - "Insurance claim help and financial counseling" is not a single service
We assist with the insurance claim... but not financial counseling - P3
I've never heard of financial counseling - P8
We refer them to the number for Philadelphia for the insurance office - P12
15 - Parking can be a challenge for offices in dense urban locations
It's very expensive to park. You gotta pay a minimum of twenty-eight dollars. - P5
Parking is expensive or hard to find or both. We have free parking, but it's a block away - P11
16 - Some Public Contact Offices are located in Federal buildings with security checkpoints
They go through security as soon as they come through the door. That's a little hiccup for most of them. - P11
Plus they have to go through security. So you know, if they show up at like 4:00, and then security, we're gone by the time they get here like at 4:15, 4:30. - P8
17 - Most services are consistently available during normal operating hours
- Occassionally certain staff members may be better equipped to perform certain services (MST interviews, homeless Veteran coordinator)
- Guam has 2 hours every Monday morning where VBMS is down for maintenance
- Update the VBA Service taxonomy to accurately reflect the services available at Regional Offices
- Include information about which services require making an appointment or bringing additional documents
- Reroute Veterans for services that can't be handled at a RO (e.g., checking status of pension claim)
- Explore ways to connect benefit service information across VA.gov
- Clearly indicate the distinction between virtual and in-person appointments
- Ensure Veterans can easily tell if a facility allows walk-ins or not
- Consider involving stakeholders from VR&E so we can accurately route Veterans to those services
- Consider how co-located VSOs might be displayed on RO pages to clarify their relationship to the VA
- Consider use cases for Regional Offices, Satellite Offices, & Outreach sites
| Service | Count |
| apply for benefits / file a claim | 9 |
| compensation / payment | 6 |
| get a [benefit / award / tax] letter | 6 |
| determine eligibility / understand options | 4 |
| check claim status | 3 |
| survivor’s benefits | 2 |
| general form support | 2 |
| education | 2 |
| pension | 2 |
National Benefits
- aid and attendance
- burial | burial reimbursement | flag
- caregiver program
- CHAMP-VA
- commissary | commissary and exchange privileges | patronage expansion directive
- compensation | disability compensation | disability rating
- concurrent retirement and disability payment | CRDP
- debt management
- dependency & indemnity compensation | DIC
- disability housing grants
- education | chapter 35 | GI bill
- financial counseling | fiduciary services
- foreign medical policy
- health care
- home health care
- home loans
- homeless veterans support | housing support | HUD-VASH
- IDES
- life insurance
- military sexual trauma | MST
- pension (Veteran)
- pension (military retiree)
- pension (survivor)
- pre-discharge | Benefits Delivery at Discharge | BDD
- special monthly compensation
- "survivor benefits"
- transition | TAP
- VR&E | education and career counseling | voc rehab
State & Local Benefits
- annuity
- compensation (state) | chapter 115
- driver's license
- hunting & fishing license
- license plate
- public transit benefits
- reduced taxes (property, home sale)
- toll road pass
- welcome home bonus
Benefit Specific Tasks
- add/remove dependent
- appeal hearing
- apply for benefit | file a claim
- attend counseling session
- check status of claim
- determine eligibility for benefit
- file a supplemental claim | increase disability rating
- get copy of paperwork
- learn about benefit | benefit orientation
- resolve payment issue | check tracing
- understand claim decision
- update direct deposit
- update personal info (address, phone #, etc.)
General Support Tasks
- assistance completing a form
- tech support | ebenefits | VA.gov
- translate language
Documents you can get at VBA
- award letter
- benefit letter | no-benefit letter
- certificate of eligibility
- commissary letter
- DD-214
- disability rating
- medical records (VA)
- medical records (military)
- property tax letter
- tax letters
Documents to bring to VBA
- birth certificate
- DD-214
- death certificate
- discharge paperwork
- divorce decrees
- first notice of death
- funeral bill
- marriage certificate
- medical records (civilian)
- medical records (military)
- medical records (VA)
- social security cards
- picture ID (not expired)
- two forms of ID
Information to bring to VBA
- date of birth (dependent)
- date of birth (Veteran)
- effective date
- social security number (dependent)
- social security number (Veteran)
- active duty
- caregiver
- dependent | spouse | child
- disabled Veteran (50%, 100%)
- homeless Veteran
- military retiree
- survivor | widow
- Veteran