Adjudication Division
Narrative Description
The Compensation and Pension program is comprised of the adjudication
and administration of compensation, pension, and education claims, as well as
ancillary programs.
The Compensation and Pension program has two major components:
compensatory payments for loss of earning capacity due to service-connected
disease or injury; and financial assistance based on a standard of need for
wartime veterans who, because of disabilities which may not be related to
military service, are precluded from gainful employment.
Additionally, there are specific benefit programs of dependency and
indemnity compensations and pension for survivors and dependents under each
of these major categories.
The Education program provides financial assistance to veterans, service
persons, their dependents and survivors, and members of the Selected Reserve
to aid them in obtaining education or training. Activities include education
assistance which provides financial benefits to veterans and other eligible
persons, tutorial assistance payments, education loans, and veteran-student
services (work-study).
The configuration of the traditional Adjudication Division is functional, that is,
work flows through a sequence, one activity dependent on the previous. The
Adjudication Division is usually divided into units with each unit responsible for a
specified portion of the files and all correspondence relating to those files.
VBA's new business model integrates the functions of Veterans Services
Division and Adjudication into one division. Some stations are currently
organized this way, others are in the process of reorganizing, and others have
developed modified versions of this concept because of physical limitations or
unique situations. Each regional office has developed its own concept of the
integrated divisions, so no two stations will be configured or function exactly
alike.
In this setting, teams will be established who will process a claim from its
initiation through development to its adjudication and gives the veteran a case
manager for his/her claim. This organizational change may require more areas
in the building where files are stored, necessitating increased floor load-bearing
capacity in more areas. Also, the Adjudication Division (as it is currently known)
will most likely become larger, requiring a larger building footprint than before.
VBA Design Guide
Page 2-6
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