Comment from Kim Jensen on VA-2026-VACO-0001-0207
Kim JensenOpposeIndividual
Summary: The commenter, a Camp Lejeune widow and advocate, opposes the proposed action because she believes that simplifying the paperwork form does not address the root cause of the problem: the poor quality, inconsistency, and lack of training in the claims review process. She argues that the VA should focus on improving reviewer education and accuracy rather than just reducing the number of forms.
As a Camp Lejeune widow and advocate I have experienced firsthand the amount of paperwork involved with applying for disability, and as much as this regulation would save a little bit of time it’s really irrelevant the problem lies in the processing of the claims in itself! If the claims were reviewed properly, the law and the evidence were weighed accurately, and there weren’t numerous denials that eventually ended up in the hands of the BVA or sent back for remand. The paperwork would be minuscule compared to what is happening now. The biggest issue is the quality and consistency of the claims review process. A simpler form won’t help if the person reviewing the claim lacks the training to properly understand medical records, medical terminology, or the applicable laws and regulations.
Claims reviewers should receive more comprehensive training on medical terminology and conditions. For example, renal cancer and kidney cancer are the same disease, yet misunderstandings like this can contribute to delays, unnecessary denials, or requests for additional evidence.
The priority should be improving the accuracy and efficiency of claims processing through better education, consistent application of the law, and stronger quality control—not simply reducing paperwork. Veterans and surviving spouses deserve decisions that are informed, timely, and based on a correct understanding of the evidence. I have personally assisted numerous veterans or widows and saw the number of clear undeniable errors that could have been avoided if the person took their time, weighed the evidence and ruled in the favor of the veteran or the widow instead more paperwork, more appeals, appeal, appeal, appeal the VA has numerous flaws and reducing filling out. A form is the least of anyone’s worry when it comes to filing for disability it’s the number of times they have to fill out forms or submit more evidence. And why can’t the BVA make a ruling instead of sending it back to regional for a remand because there were clear mistakes made they’re causing the paperwork buildup too! Make a ruling that’s 12 more pages of paperwork this woman had to file! Higher level review now waiting waiting since 2019 on a decision ! Appeal after appeal after appeal after bva hearing then another appeal that’s where the problem lies! Don’t go with the standard. You didn’t complain about this. When you were in the military read the evidence look at the medical records. Stop the ridiculous form, denial grant the disability and you’ll save on tons of paperwork. And lastly, when hiring software developers involved the end users because nine times out of 10 the developers have no clue what the end users need to have available to them which creates costly edits to software programs or bugs in the system, which I personally have found many of them!