A Department of Veteran Affairs Inspector General report on Monday found inadequate oversight at a Philadelphia branch location that led to a senior representative inaccurately authorizing tens of thousands of claims.
The review found that from fiscal year 2022 through 2024, the Veterans Service Center manager inaccurately approved approximately 85,300 disability benefit claims that resulted in an estimated $2.2 million in improper payments.
The manager allegedly only spent 4.7 minutes reviewing each claim that was authorized, while the national average is about 21 minutes, and the manager rarely opened the required documents to verify claim information before approving the claim, the report found.Â
“Officials from the regional office, the Northeast District, and the central office were aware of the Philadelphia senior VSR’s unusually high authorization rate,” the VA said in the report. “However, they overlooked opportunities to strengthen internal controls and effectively respond to the associated risk.”
The inspector general recommended the VA’s under secretary for benefits review its findings, correct the errors that were identified and evaluate the effectiveness of controls for authorization rate outliers.
Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.Â
