VA watchdog finds some problems at Colorado benefits office

The VA’s Office of Inspector General said Tuesday it reviewed 60 claims processed by a Veterans Affairs office in the Denver suburb of Lakewood.

Associated Press

Sep. 05, 2017, 2:13 p.m.

A federal watchdog agency says a Denver-area office of the Veterans Affairs Department made mistakes on some benefit claims and processed others late, but no system-wide problems were found.

The VA’s Office of Inspector General said Tuesday it reviewed 60 claims processed by a Veterans Affairs office in the Denver suburb of Lakewood.

The agency says the Lakewood office correctly processed 28 of 30 claims for traumatic brain injury and 26 of 30 claims for two other types of benefits.

The review found overpayments totaling about $51,000 and underpayments totaling about $19,000.

The inspector general also reviewed 30 newly filed claims and found incorrect information in 19. The agency blamed inexperience and ineffective oversight.

The agency release a summary of its report, but the full report wasn’t immediately available.

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