**GAO-08-561**                      Published: May 27, 2008. Publicly Released: May 27, 2008.                  

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## Highlights

Faced with an increase in disability claims, the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) is hiring a large number of new claims processing staff. We were asked to determine: (1) What training is provided to new and experienced claims processors and how uniform is this training? (2) To what extent has VBA planned this training strategically, and how well is the training designed, implemented, and evaluated? and (3) To what extent is the performance management system for claims processors consistent with generally accepted practices? To answer the questions, GAO reviewed documents including VBA policies and training curricula; interviewed VBA central office officials; visited 4 of VBA's 57 regional offices, which were selected to achieve diversity in geographic location, number of staff, and officewide accuracy in claims processing; and compared VBA's training and performance management to generally accepted practices identified by GAO.

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## Topics

Veterans

Claims processingEmployee trainingEmployeesHuman capital managementOccupational retrainingOn-the-job trainingPerformance appraisalPerformance managementPerformance measuresPolicy evaluationProgram evaluationProgram managementReporting requirementsStaff utilizationStrategic planningTraining utilizationVeteransVeterans benefitsProgram goals or objectivesProgram implementation