Training:
- The VA must train its personnel for the benefit program that will take up the most of their time, such as serviceconnected disability, VA medical care, employment, and homelessness.
- Due to retirement, they are losing their most experienced employees.
- Many offices have never handled a Pension claim.
- They are not responsible if they complete your application incorrectly or give incorrect information.
- The VA has admitted to Congress that they cannot release their employees to keep up on their training due to manpower issues.
- Losing documents.
- Not opening mail in a timely manner.
- Many offices give out wrong information (VA report to Congress).
- Changing dates on applications.
- They do not tell people that income can be adjusted down by medical expenses.
- They are not allowed to tell claimants that they can gift away assets to reduce their net worth to qualify for the Pension.
- Claims submitted with too much in countable assets.
- Claims submitted without sufficient medical expenses.
- Demanding repayment of all Pension Payments the Claimant has received if the Claimant does not respond fast enough to their request for information.
- Taking an excessively long time to approve claims.
- Refusing to pay accrued benefits following death of Claimant.
- Many applications are submitted without enough medical expenses or too much in assets to qualify.
- The VA does not tell the claimant what will happen if they sell the house after qualifying for the Pension.
- The VA is hiring new personnel as fast as possible.
- They are losing experienced people to retirement.
- Due to their staffing problems, the VA does not have enough time to train their employees.
- They take months to respond to correspondence.
- They take many months to approve or deny a claim for Pension Benefits.
- (As stated above) they are losing their most experienced employees.
- Many offices have very little experience with the Improved Pension Benefit.
- There are many cases where the VA employee has never heard of the Pension Benefit or completed an application.