The Department of Veterans Affairs is pursuing plans to outsource to private contractors nearly all “compensation and pension” exams, required for all veterans seeking disability benefits. The step is part of continuing VA efforts to use private resources to improve service and reduce waiting times, but the measure has been criticized by its own staff as well as by Democrats in Congress.
The changes appear “unlikely to deliver the high-quality results we expect,” Rep. Elaine Luria wrote to the VA Secretary in October. Eleven Democratic Senators echoed those concerns in a November letter, asserting that the track record of the private contractors is “mixed at best.”
The Baltimore Sun reports that VA staff argue its own doctors have specialized experience that can speed the process along. "I think it's just going to lead to much more frustration," a union official told the Sun.