VA to automate Agent Orange claims

The Department of Veterans Affairs is automating how it pays for claims relating to exposure to the chemical Agent Orange. The system "is likely to break" if nothing is done, says VA chief technology officer Peter Levin.

It is the first time the VA is making an effort to automate claims processing, and it's an important step in the agency's struggle to cut a backlog of more than 1 million claims, Levin says.

"Look, the bottom line is why the hell they didn't do [automation] 30 years ago?" John Rowan, national president of Vietnam Veterans of America, asks InformationWeek. "The question is whether they will do it right."

The automated system will apply only to Agent Orange claims. If it works, it's likely to revolutionize the way the VA handles claims throughout its system.

For more on the VA and automation:
- see this InformationWeek article

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