**GAO-10-530T**                      Published: Mar 24, 2010. Publicly Released: Mar 24, 2010.                  

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## Highlights

For years, in addition to experiencing challenges in making disability claims decisions more quickly and reducing its claims backlog, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has faced challenges in improving the accuracy and consistency of its decisions. GAO was asked to discuss issues surrounding VA's Systematic Technical Accuracy Review (STAR) program, a disability compensation and pension quality assurance program, and possible ways, if any, this program could be improved. This statement focuses on actions VA has taken; including those in response to past GAO recommendations, to (1) address identified weaknesses with STAR and (2) improve efforts to monitor the consistency of claims decisions. This statement is based on GAO's prior work, which examined several aspects of STAR, as well as VA's consistency review activities, and on updated information GAO obtained from VA on quality assurance issues that GAO and VA's Office of Inspector General (OIG) have identified. GAO also reviewed VA's OIG March 2009 report on STAR. GAO is not making any new recommendations.

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## Topics

Veterans

AccountabilityClaims processingClaims settlementCompensationCompensation claimsDisabilitiesDisability benefitsInternal controlsMilitary benefits claimsMilitary disability retirement payPension claimsPerformance measuresPeople with disabilitiesQuality assuranceSystems evaluationVeterans benefitsVeterans disability compensationVeterans pensions