Inspection of VA Regional Office St. Petersburg, Florida

Overall, VA Office of Inspector General (OIG) benefits inspectors determined St. Petersburg VA Regional Office (VARO) claims processing staff incorrectly processed 17 of the 90 (19 percent) disability claims selected for review. The claims processing errors resulted in approximately $44,900 in improper benefits payments at the time of our inspection in January 2015. The OIG benefits inspectors sample disability claims considered at increased risk of processing errors so inspection results do not represent the accuracy of all disability claims processed at the St. Petersburg VARO. OIG staff found VARO staff incorrectly processed 8 of 30 claims related to temporary 100 percent disability evaluations, but processed 28 of the 30 traumatic brain injury claims correctly. Results in these two areas suggest improvement since the VARO was last inspected in 2012. However, OIG reported 7 of the 30 sample cases relating to Special Monthly Compensation and ancillary benefits contained errors. St. Petersburg VARO staff did not accurately establish the correct date of claim in an electronic system of records for 4 of 30 claims sampled. OIG inspectors also determined VARO staff delayed taking action in processing 7 of the 30 benefits reduction cases because VARO management did not prioritize this workload. The Under Secretary for Benefits and the Director of the St. Petersburg VARO concurred with OIG’s recommendations for improvement.