Notification: Incorrect form information sent to Veterans

Washington,DC

VA was recently notified and confirmed an error by a contract service provider that nearly 6,000 Veterans and/or accredited representatives received letters advising them to submit an incorrect form. Veterans and/or accredited representatives who submitted outdated forms for decision review requests (VA forms 0995 and 0996) were sent letters directing them, inaccurately, to submit form 526EZ.

VA will ensure all affected Veterans are made whole and they receive the benefits they have earned. Claims identified as impacted are being processed with adjusted effective dates and using the date of their original submission as appropriate.

VBA continues to examine data to identify which cases are resolved satisfactorily and those that remain to be completed. The data breakdown will be provided once it is available.

On March 7, 2024, VA was first alerted to the error by Veterans, Veteran Service Organizations, and VA Regional Office staff members. VA and the service provider took immediate corrective action to stop inaccurate letters from being sent by deploying system fixes to the automation process.

Additionally, VA has initiated appropriate contractual actions to hold the service provider accountable for the failure and lack of appropriate configuration management procedures.

VA utilizes the service providers automation capabilities to support receipt of claims and evidence submitted to VBA. To ensure the automation services are operating as designed, a full operational review will be required by the vendor. In parallel, VA will conduct an independent technical analysis of the service provider’s solution and after-action report.