Data Reveal: VA Automation Push Linked to Surge in Veteran Disability Claim Errors
An investigation reveals the VA's expansion of automated decision support coincides with a massive spike in medical record errors for veteran claims.
POLICY WIRE — Washington, D.C. — Randy Leger Diaz, a former Marine, struggled with chronic physical pain following his service in the 7th Communication Battalion in Okinawa between 2014 and 2016. Despite the physical toll of his duties, Diaz suffered from severe back, joint, and stomach issues that hindered his ability to work in his 30s.
When Diaz applied for disability benefits in November 2024, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) initially rejected most of his claims. It was only after a higher-level review requested by his attorney that the agency admitted to failing its legal duty-to-assist by not collecting the necessary medical evidence for his case.
Diaz’s struggle reflects a broader trend as the VA becomes increasingly reliant on automation to process and summarize medical records. An investigation by The Beam at Arizona State University’s Howard Center for Investigative Journalism found that this shift toward automated tools aligns with a sharp increase in evidence-gathering errors.
The VA launched the Automated Decision Support tool in December 2021 to accelerate the claims process. Since its widespread adoption, the volume of claims being sent back for reconsideration due to record errors or disputed decisions has reached a significant percentage of high-level reviews.
While the VA maintains the tool improves efficiency, staff members and advocacy groups claim the system misses critical medical nuances and fails to extract vital details. VA press secretary Quinn Slaven told The Beam there is no evidence suggesting the tool is the source of these errors.
Despite these allegations, Margarita Devlin, the VA’s principal deputy under secretary for benefits, told the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs that technology is improving accuracy and reducing mistakes. However, internal agency data tells a different story: evidence collection errors rose from over 66,000 in fiscal year 2021 to more than 329,000 in fiscal year 2026.
Representative Mark Takano expressed concern that while speed is beneficial, a process that leads to rushed denials or errors serves veterans poorly. Data shows that the rate of claims sent back by reviewers for more evidence jumped from 23% in 2021 to 35% in 2026.
The VA plans to utilize the automated tool for 90% of all claims by the end of 2027. Although the tool does not determine final compensation amounts, human raters rely on its automated summaries, which critics argue contributes to a quality deficit in the benefits process.
Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)
