DROCs conducting informal conferences are responsible for establishing and managing a dedicated phone number for informal conference scheduling.  The dedicated phone line must include a functional voicemail accessible by employees to account for time zone differentials.

 

DROCs must determine and document a local plan for oversight of the dedicated informal conference phone line in the DROC workload management plan.

The plan must include:

Only a VSR, AQRS, or RVSR who meets the below requirements is authorized to complete development actions that address MST, and only an RVSR, DRO, or RQRS who meets the below requirements is authorized to complete a decision on MST. 

 

Development actions completed by a VSR require two signatures until the VSR demonstrates an accuracy rate of 90 percent or greater based on a review of 10 consecutive MST cases. Reviews of development actions completed by an AQRS require two signatures until the AQRS demonstrates an accuracy rate of 90 percent or greater based on a review of 10 consecutive MST cases. Decisions completed by a decisionmaker for MST conditions require two signatures until the adjudicator demonstrates an accuracy rate of 90 percent or greater based on a review of 10 consecutive MST cases, including a mix of grants, denials, and evaluations. Reviews of decisions completed by an RQRS for MST conditions require two signatures until the RQRS demonstrates an accuracy rate of 90 percent or greater based on a review of 10 consecutive MST cases, including a mix of grants, denials, and evaluations.

 

 

Only an RVSR, DRO, or RQRS who has met the below requirements is authorized to complete a decision on TBI.    

Decisions on TBI cases completed by decisionmakers require two signatures until a decisionmaker demonstrates an accuracy rate of 90 percent or greater based on a review of 10 consecutive TBI cases, including a mix of grants, denials, and evaluations.

 

 

Only an RVSR, DRO, or RQRS who has met the below requirements is authorized to complete a decision on a case where the Veteran is either claiming or has been granted service connection for ALS, even if the current issues under decision are not directly related to the service connected ALS.  

Decisions on ALS cases completed by decisionmakers require two signatures until a decisionmaker demonstrates an accuracy rate of 90 percent or greater based on a review of 10 consecutive ALS cases, including a mix of grants, denials, and evaluations.

 

 

OAR requires DROCs to maintain a log of claims processors on second signature review for specialized processing to include MST, TBI, and ALS. DROCs must also maintain a memorandum for each claims processor who has completed training and second signature requirements.    

 

The log must contain an entry for each specialty case reviewed and each entry in the log must contain the following information:

For any reviewed cases that are incorrect, the log must also contain columns to indicate additional date(s) reviewed following corrective action, reviewer name(s), and any further corrective action needed.

 

All special processing cases must be second-signed and reviewed for accuracy until the individual processing that case has achieved at least 90 percent accuracy over no less than 10 reviews. DROCs must provide each claim processor who is designated to have single-signature authority for special processing to include MST, TBI, and ALS with a formal memorandum confirming completion of training and second signature requirements. Refer to the Delegation of Single-Signature Authority Memorandum template.