How will transitioning to PFL impact wait times for other VAC programs and services?

Index

1. How will PFL impact wait times?
2. What will VAC’s new service standards be for Pain and Suffering Compensation (PSC), Additional Pain and Suffering Compensation (APSC) and Income Replacement Benefit (IRB)?
3. The IRB combines multiple benefits (Earnings Loss Benefit, Extended Earnings Loss Benefit, Career Impact Allowance, Career Impact Allowance Supplement, Supplementary Retirement Benefit and Retirement payday loans in Defiance OH Income Security Benefit) into one. Will combining these benefits mean that VAC will have more employees to work on reducing wait times overall?
4. How will transitioning to PFL impact wait times for other VAC programs and services?
5. How are you ensuring that the reviewing of files and transitioning to PFL doesn’t cause current backlog to get even larger?
6. The VAC Wait time tool shows that the current average wait time for my type of application is ‘x’ number of weeks. Can you tell me how many more weeks will be added to my current wait time as a result of the transition to PFL?
7. When will you provide estimated wait times for the new PFL benefits (PSC, APSC, IRB)?

How will PFL impact wait times?

A project the size of Pension for Life will always require system upgrades to improve internal and external systems for the users.

While it will take time to transition to a new system, these upgrades eventually make it faster to access benefits and services

It will also make it easier for Veterans and their families. One example of how PFL will make things easier for Veterans is the simplified application process for the Income Replacement Benefit which combines multiple pre-existing benefits into one monthly payment.

What will VAC’s new service standards be for Pain and Suffering Compensation (PSC), Additional Pain and Suffering Compensation (APSC) and Income Replacement Benefit (IRB)?

Pain and Suffering Compensation – 16 weeks Additional Pain and Suffering Compensation – 12 weeks Income Replacement Benefit – 4 weeks

Note: Processing time for all VAC applications/requests is counted from the time we receive all required supporting information, with the exception of Long Term Care.

The IRB combines multiple benefits (Earnings Loss Benefit, Extended Earnings Loss Benefit, Career Impact Allowance, Career Impact Allowance Supplement, Supplementary Retirement Benefit and Retirement Income Security Benefit) into one. Will combining these benefits mean that VAC will have more employees to work on reducing wait times overall?

The full impact of combining several pre-existing benefits into the IRB won’t be noticeable immediately. It will take some time for staff to understand the new processes and, as with other Pension for Life benefits, we expect to see a continued increase in applications in the near-term. That said, we have hired more staff to process IRB applications and as they learn the new processes we will be able to review the workload and possibly move resources to become more efficient in other benefit areas.

Claim processing for disability and financial benefits will temporarily slow down during the transition to PFL. This is the result of short-term restrictions on some functions in our software as well as the time it will take to train staff on the upgraded software and new procedures with PFL benefits.

Although we expect a reduced capacity, we have developed a plan that will help us provide the most effective delivery of services possible.

How are you ensuring that the reviewing of files and transitioning to PFL doesn’t cause current backlog to get even larger?

In the short term the backlog may increase slightly, but as things settle out we will be able to make real progress on tackling the long-standing backlog growth. The efficiencies gained through new programs, new IT systems, and changes to how we work will enable us to recover quickly from any temporary transitional slowdown.