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February Message from Benjamin Altose, Acting Director of Operations, Payment Operations (104P)
Team,
As we enter February, I want to highlight the significant progress we have made during Q1 of FY23. Here are some key metrics:
- CCNNC Timeliness: Average 97.8% of Claims Processed within 30 days
- CRM Resolution Timeliness: Average 80% of CRMs resolved within 2 days
- ACR Resolution Timeliness: 73% of cases completed within 30 days
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These metrics, as well as the graphs presented during January's Town Hall, clearly demonstrate the incredible work you’ve all done so far this fiscal year. I am proud to have colleagues such as you who work so diligently on behalf of our nation’s Veterans and their families. I look forward to continuing this momentum throughout the rest of the year!
Speaking of momentum, thank you to everyone who attended the Town Hall last month. We’ve heard from a lot of you that it was beneficial, particularly the Q&A portion. I want to reiterate that we place a high value on communication and employee engagement. Thank you to all the employees who have reached out to me directly, my office will be reviewing all the emails and working with me to provide responses. If you were unable to join the town hall, you can access the recording here.
February is Black History Month. As Dr. Elnahal said last week, this is a time to recognize and honor the extraordinary legacy of Black Americans. I read a story of a local Tuskegee airman, Harold Haywood Brown, who passed away recently. Brown was believed to have been one of the last living Tuskegee Airmen. Reading about his accomplishments and legacy was truly inspiring, and I encourage you to learn about him when you have a spare moment. I also encourage you to engage with the Black History Month programming across VHA this month, such as the VHA firsts in Black history, to learn more about VA’s commitment to equality for Black Veterans and their families.
Later this month, we will break for Presidents Day, and I hope you all enjoy the federal holiday and return rested and rejuvenated. Please take a moment to reflect on the words of President Lincoln during his Second Inaugural Address, in which he outlined his plan to help bring healing to a divided nation:
“With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan – to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations."
Though President Lincoln would only live 41 more days, the hard work of Americans in his time and down through the centuries continues to honor his legacy and that vision. His words in that speech inspired the VA mission we uphold every single day, whether we are processing their claims, providing direct care to Veterans, or assisting them in navigating the complexities of VA healthcare benefits.
Best Regards,
Ben
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The legacy POM SharePoint is being updated to reflect organizational changes. We will communicate when these changes are finished. The URL will remain the same, but we will have updated information, organizational charts, helpful links, and more. Please keep an eye out for communications about the 104P Operations SharePoint!
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The 2022 Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) has officially come to an end and the final giving results are in. VHA Central Office collectively raised $142,062, which is $22,06 over the goal of $120,00! All of VA raised an incredible $3,624,696.79, just wow. These contributions were raised to help those in need in our local communities, across our nation and around the world. This year's success is a testament to the changemaker in each of us. Thank you for being the face of change for important causes like helping communities recover from disaster, supporting military families, ensuring education for all and more. The pledges will make a difference for those in need in the weeks, months, and years to come.
I really enjoyed connecting with those of you that reached out with questions and shared stories about how you chose to contribute.
Thank you all so much for making this a great CFC campaign year,
Rachel Hoffman
 Are you familiar with TXP? It's a one-stop shop where you can access your employee dashboard, links to VA resources, and so much more! You can access TXP at this link.
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Sweethearts' Day
Clinical Review will be holding a Sweethearts' Day later this month, honoring their colleagues who do incredible volunteer work in their communities!
 They asked the Payment Operations Nurses...
- What do you do for your community or volunteer work?
- How does this help or affect the community?
- What motivated you to accomplish this work for your community?
Here are some of their responses!
 Sheena Short
Sheena volunteers with One King Sports, a ministry volleyball league for elementary students, and also volunteers as a Middle School Volleyball Assistant Coach. Sheena played volleyball in high school, and when her daughter took an interest in the sport, she found it to be a great opportunity to be involved with her daughter and other kids doing something she already loves.
"Coaching is a great way to get involved with kids and not only teach them about sports but also about life, how to treat others, and responsibilities."
Rebecca Davis
Kaci Mitchell was an 8th grade girl who was murdered due to domestic violence. Every year, Rebecca organizes the Kaci Mitchell bake sale, which raises money for a scholarship fund in her memory. The Kaci Mitchell Scholarship is awarded each spring to a graduating senior at the high school that Kaci would have attended.
"I do this in honor of Kaci Mitchell’s memory. She was a classmate of my oldest daughter and was murdered when she was 13 and in the 8th grade."
Kelly Wilson
Kelly volunteers one night per week at a low-income primary care clinic that is associated with the Baptist Union in her county. At this clinic, Kelly and her fellow volunteers provide care to residents in their county who do not have insurance and can not afford primary care services. They also refer them to specialists who will provide specialty care at a discounted rate. This work allows these residents to get care they would not be able to afford otherwise, thereby improving their quality of life.
"I love being able to provide this care for community residents and a lot of times I am the one who receives the blessing by being able interact with the less fortunate and they are so appreciative."
Paula Wicks
Paula serves as a Wish Granter for Make-A-Wish. In this role, she interviews the Wish Kid and his/her family and assists them in creating their most memorable wish. Some Wish Kids already have an idea of what they want, while others don’t yet. For those children unsure of their wish, Paula makes suggestions based on information she obtains from our interview session, with hopes that her suggestions will spark an interest.
Once the child's wish has been planned and arrangements have been made to fulfill the wish, Paula, along with her partner Wish Granter, holds a “Reveal” party to which friends and family are invited to celebrate the Wish Kid as they embark on their new adventure. In the 2 years she has been a Make-A-Wish volunteer, Paula has granted wishes to Disney World and Lego Land, had bedrooms and bathrooms remodeled, and has taken Wish Kids on shopping sprees. Her most memorable wish granted, however, was feeding the Homeless for a year.
"Make-A-Wish’s mission, 'Together, we create life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses' fits well with my desire of ensuring kids leave our interaction with smiles on their faces and with eagerness for the most wonderful wish anyone can possibly have."
Jennifer Osborne
Jennifer volunteers with ANCC, where she was selected to serve as a Content Expert Panel (CEP) member from 1/2023 to 12/2025, and will work on the development of the Nurse Executive Exam. Each CEP is responsible for the development of the certification exam within a particular specialty under the guidance of the ANCC Measurement Services Staff. The panels are composed of up to 10 members, including a chair and vice chair.
Jennifer is also a Board Member for Cleveland Missing, with the Cleveland Family Center for Missing Children and Adults (aka Cleveland Family). This organization was founded because of what one Cleveland, Ohio family suffered for nine years while searching for their missing fourteen-year-old daughter.
The Cleveland Family Center was co-founded by Gina DeJesus, and her cousin, Sylvia Colon. Cleveland Family Center is the only organization offering direct support for families and friends searching for their missing loved ones.
We are 100% focused on providing all services necessary in aiding worried families from initial missing person’s report to and through recovery. Additionally, we work with police departments offering the special training required when working with families of the missing as well as the sensitivity required when the missing are recovered.
We provide these services by drawing on the expertise of members of our board and community partners. Some of our Board members are law enforcement officials, experienced in internet crimes, abductions and human trafficking. Other board members are experienced with trauma, nursing and psycho-therapy. We have a sizable database to guide families and are constantly updating to remain on the cutting edge of what is new and available resources for families.
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This month’s HRO Theme is Preoccupation with Failure. VHA is committed to learning the HRO principles and implementing them so that we can more effectively serve our Nation's Veterans and their families. We are continually looking for vulnerabilities and areas for improvement - proactively anticipating risks, collectively working to determine their root causes, and brainstorming solutions before any harm is done. Our work in 104P Operations has this principle built into everything we do, which allows us to continually deliver excellent work to the Veterans we serve.
To learn more about the Theme of the Month, please explore the resources below.
Links
HRO Theme of the Month
Preoccupation with Failure Video
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The Internal Controls & Appeals department has had a busy few months! Here are highlights from Appeals:
965 Total Legacy Appeals Remaining
- 459 have Statement of the Cases
- 93 have Supplemental Statement of the Cases
- 258 have been certified to the Board
- 320 have been remanded back to us for additional action
The graph above depicts the number of notifications sent to 1725/1728 over a 30 day period (from 1/2 to 1/31) and reviewed by the clinical team, as well as the minimum, average, and maximum review time.
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Congratulations and thank you to all these staff celebrating milestones. We are lucky to have you!
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Throughout 2023, we would like to recognize individuals who are contributing meaningful and excellent work, and to provide them the opportunity to share a bit about themselves with their 104P Operations colleagues! This month, we will spotlight individuals from the Western Region.
Mysti Crawford
Mysti Crawford is an Army Veteran and was stationed at Schofield Barracks in Hawaii before being discharged in 2005. She has been an employee of the VA in Montana since August of 2015. She began as a Program Support Clerk and moved up to Voucher Examiner, Lead Voucher Examiner, Customer Service Specialist and is now a Provider Relations Specialist. Prior to coming to the VA, Mysti worked at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Montana for 7 years.
Mysti Crawford is currently a Provider Relations Specialist in the Western Region based in Montana. She is an outstanding staff member and, more importantly, an exceptional leader for the Western PRS Team. She is quite often the go-to person for her expertise in Payment Operations. She has a wealth of knowledge which she shares willingly with all others. This includes PRS team members and staff at the VAMCs as well as providers in the region. Mysti has a teenage son and enjoys hiking, fishing and exploring the Montana’s redwood historical signs on drives around the highways of Montana.
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Carl "Ed" Crnich
Ed Crnich started his career at VA as a Program Support Clerk in November 2014. He was hired primarily for his 18+ years of call center experience, not his keyboarding skills. Since that time, he has worked his way up, serving as Voucher Examiner, Lead Voucher Examiner, and now Supervisory Program Analyst, a title Ed earned in February 2020.
Ed has spent most of his life in Butte/Helena, MT. He has three daughters and one grandson. Ed's middle daughter recently got "remarried" to her husband in his native country of India, so Ed likes to brag that he has a kiddo who's married on two continents. When he told one of his daughters which photo he had submitted for this newsletter, she insisted he add the one to the right - it's her favorite picture of him “ever.” ♥ 😊
When he's not working, Ed enjoys camping/fishing/day trips to check out the food at "locally famous" eateries in nearby towns, as well as football and NASCAR.
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Every month we will highlight some of the Regional Officers, Department Chiefs, Administrative Officers, and other 104P Operations Front Office staff as part of our effort to help all staff to virtually meet and learn a little bit about the leadership in our directorate.
Christina Kersey
Christina has been with the Department of Veterans Affairs for 7 years. She began her career as a Voucher Examiner in 2015 at the Bonham, TX VA. In 2017, she was promoted to a Budget Technician and then accepted the Lead Voucher Examiner position in 2020. She now works as the 104P Operations Front Office Administrative Support Assistant.
Christina received her Bachelors Degree in Communication Sciences from Texas Woman’s University. She was born and raised in Texas. She has two wonderful sons, likes to hike, read self improvement books, and go to the local winery with her friends.
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Emma Podkul
Emma Podkul provides contract support to 104P Operations, along with various departments within IVC, including Provider Profile Management System (PPMS), Integrated Informatics & Analytics (IIA), and Integrated External Network (IEN). She has worked in government consulting since 2018, primarily with the Military Health and Veteran communities. Emma earned a Master of Public Health before it was cool, specializing in Environmental Health Science & Policy, with a focus on One Health – a framework emphasizing collaboration between veterinary, human, and environmental science in order optimize the world’s health outcomes. She is passionate about designing creative solutions to complex problems, and she hopes to help improve domestic and international approaches to healthcare, starting right here in the Veterans Health Administration!
Emma is a dual citizen of the U.S.A. and New Zealand who grew up in California and now calls Virginia home. In her spare time, she loves exploring Virginia’s natural beauty by hiking, kayaking, or enjoying a local brew. Emma is also a voracious reader and has a knack for remembering random quotes, and even soliloquys from Shakespeare. Please reach out to her at Emma.Podkul@va.gov with any ideas for this newsletter!
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Face to Face Meeting in Largo, FL
104P Operations Leadership gathered in Largo, FL for a Face to Face meeting last month. They enjoyed getting to meet some 104P Operations staff who joined them in person for the January Town Hall!
Front Row: Theresa Ringel, Tracy Shewmake, Andrea Samples, Cindy Fagerness-Reiter, Rasheemia Green
Second Row: James McCorvey, Rachel Hoffman, Samantha Brown, Jose Portuondo, Benjamin Altose
Last Row: Mary Bisom, Jennifer Osborne, Jennifer DaSilva, Neil Narine, Christina Lux
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COMPACT Act TMS Training
COMPACT Act, Section 201: The Essentials (TMS ID #4634808)
The purpose of this scenario-based course is to supply VA Providers and Staff with the necessary knowledge to accurately and effectively manage processes for Veterans receiving acute suicide care at VA Medical Centers or Community facilities. This new legislation broadens access to timely, high-quality care as it is designed provide Veterans expanded benefits surrounding acute suicide crisis care. Learners will be introduced to the legislation and its impact on Veterans, as well as what changes this legislation may bring with regards to VA Staff processes.
PACT Act TMS Overview Training
PACT 101 Overview Training (TMS #131004853)
The training provides an overview of the PACT Act, toxic exposure, key dates, and how Veterans and their caregivers can receive information and support on the benefits and services provided by the law.
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What would you like to see in this newsletter? Please send us ideas! Some examples include the following:
- Volunteer work in your community
- Office Celebrations
- Pets in Sports Jerseys
- Anything you do in support of our Veterans!
Any submissions or suggestions can be sent to Emma.Podkul@va.gov. Thank you in advance for helping us to form a virtual community here in 104P Operations.
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