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Veterans Affairs Plans Changes To Protect Documents

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By JOHN W. ALLMAN

jallman@tampatrib.com

Published: November 4, 2008

TAMPA - After hundreds of veterans' claims documents were found recently in paper bins, waiting to be shredded, the federal Department of Veterans Affairs is considering widespread changes to its policies to better protect VA records.

The proposed changes by the Veterans Benefits Administration include the creation of a new position, the records control officer, at all 57 regional veteran benefits offices. In addition, two people would be required to review each claims document before it is destroyed.

All employees who are required to shred documents would have individual paper bins, which would be checked by the records control officer. Each regional office also would be required to regularly review its new, enhanced procedures.

"If they implement their action plan as it's described, I believe it would eliminate almost totally the possibility of intentional or inadvertent shredding of material that shouldn't be shredded," said Jerry Manar, deputy director of national veterans service for the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Washington.

Federal officials met with Manar's organization, as well as others, on Friday to discuss the proposal. A second meeting is set for Wednesday.

The problem was first discovered in late October after 10 claims documents were found in shred bins during a routine audit of mailroom operations at regional offices in Detroit, St. Louis and Waco, Texas. A fourth office, the St. Petersburg regional office, which handles veteran benefits claims for Florida's 1.8 million veterans, also found eight documents improperly placed in a bin to be destroyed prior to its audit starting.

The documents, including applications and change requests, are necessary to properly process a veteran's claim.

The VA placed a ban on all document shredding and asked each regional office to search through paper bins. The national search found about 480 additional claims documents set to be destroyed.

Alison Aikele, press secretary for the VA in Washington, said Monday that officials are seeking feedback to the proposal before finalizing it.

Manar commended the VA for its swift response.

"The VA has had a series of faux pas or problems or mini-crises, this being the latest one," he said. "They're doing much better getting the word out, working with service organizations and letting the general public know."

Reporter John W. Allman can be reached at (813) 259-7915.

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