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Old 11-21-2002, 07:12 AM
kenmar kenmar is offline
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Join Date: Jul 2002
Posts: 900
Default Recent VA News Releases



To view and download VA news releases, please visit the following
Internet address:
<http://www.va.gov/opa/pressrel>


New Program Helps Vets with Franchises
WASHINGTON (Nov. 20, 2002) - Owning a franchise operation is now
more affordable for veterans, thanks to a program recently announced by
Secretary of Veterans Affairs Anthony J. Principi.

The Veterans Transition Franchise Initiative, commonly known as
"VetFran," allows veterans to acquire a franchise with a downpayment of 10
percent or less of the initial franchise cost, which generally ranges from
$45,000 to $150,000 for a small business. Franchising companies absorb the
difference.

"Veterans are self-starters who possess an excellent work ethic.
They are leaders who know how to manage others," Principi said. "The VetFran
program provides veterans who want to be in business for themselves a
wonderful opportunity to get their feet in the door."

Dr. Leo S. Mackay Jr., VA's Deputy Secretary, was the featured
speaker at a Sept. 24 meeting of the International Franchise Association
(IFA), VetFran's sponsor, to launch the new initiative.

Mackay also attended the annual convention in Orlando, Fla., earlier
this year where the two organizations signed a Memorandum of Understanding
(MOU) that they will work to promote franchise opportunities for veterans.
IFA's then-Chairman Jim Amos, President/CEO of Mail Boxes Etc, Inc., joined
him in signing the MOU.

"I am convinced that the partnership we are embarking on is a
win-win collaboration. It represents confidence in our nation's veterans,
benefits to our economy, and an investment in the future of America" said
Mackay.

IFA first introduced VetFran in the early 1990s as a way for
franchisers to express gratitude to military members for their service
during the Gulf War. In the last several years, the program had all but
been forgotten. The current war against terrorism has rekindled interest in
extending franchise opportunities to military veterans.

A Hawaii veteran recently became the first to acquire a franchise
under the revitalized VetFran program, obtaining a franchise for Expectec
Technology Services, a technology supplier headquartered in Garden Grove,
Calif. He paid $40,000 instead of the $60,000 he would have paid without
VetFran.

Currently, VetFran is limited to franchises with initial investments
up to $150,000, the maximum loan amount on which the SBA offers 85 percent
loan guarantees. So far, nearly 75 franchisers are participating. VetFran
may expand later to include franchises costing over $150,000, for which the
SBA offers 75 percent loan guarantees. Additional information is available
on VA's Web page at <http://www.vetbiz.gov/>.

"When they one day put aside their uniforms, today's servicemen and
women must know that they will have real means and opportunities to pursue a
career, and make a living for themselves and their families," said Mackay.
"This initiative helps provide that."
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  #2  
Old 11-26-2002, 12:14 PM
kenmar kenmar is offline
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Join Date: Jul 2002
Posts: 900
Default Nov. 26, 2002

VA Reports Progress In Battling Claims Backlog

WASHINGTON (Nov. 26, 2002) - After years of battling a rising
backlog of applications from veterans and survivors seeking financial
benefits, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is reversing the trend.

Each month for the last nine months, VA's compensation and pension
decisions have exceeded the monthly intake of new claims requiring a
decision about a disability's severity and connection with service. This
steady decrease of claims in the pipeline since the beginning of this year
reduced the backlog of ratings actions by 21 percent.

"We've seen a growing output from our regional offices, averaging 66
percent higher than last fiscal year," Secretary of Veterans Affairs Anthony
J. Principi said. "We're confident we will sustain that trend and deliver
on President Bush's promise to bring pending claims to a speedy and fair
resolution."

Under Secretary for Benefits Daniel L. Cooper said VA has been
hiring more personnel, providing intensive training and setting production
standards. He expects even more dividends from innovations in the way VA is
processing claims, from reorganizing the regional offices' structure to
implementing processes that move quickly on benefit applications that can be
decided with minimal time.

"Our employees have tried to do their best for veterans while
compensation laws and procedures became increasingly complex," Cooper said.
"We are committed to the staffing, resources and uniform procedures that
will meet this challenge with high-quality, consistent decisions for
veterans."

By October, VA had completed reorganization of its benefits
processing offices using specialized teams to focus on different stages of
the claims decision-making process. VA expects the work flow to be more
efficient.

The reorganization was among a variety of processing reforms
recommended last year by a task force chaired by Cooper before his
nomination as under secretary for benefits.

In addition, VA added more than 1,500 new benefits staff over the
last two years as part of the largest increase since the Vietnam War. As
the new hires complete training and gain proficiency in the complex
requirements of VA benefit laws, they contribute to VA's record production
levels, an average 66,400 claims per month over the last fiscal year.

Another reform over the last year was Principi's work with the
National Personnel Records Center's parent agency, the National Archives, to
speed retrieval of military service and personnel records from a storage
warehouse in St. Louis.

In the year since VA and the National Archives signed an agreement
to expedite file transfers to VA in order to answer veterans' claims more
quickly, the inventory of file requests pending six months or longer has
dropped 58 percent.

VA also has made significant inroads in processing the claims of
aged beneficiaries by shifting workload of some of the longest-pending
claims to a specialty unit called the "Tiger Team" headquartered in
Cleveland. The "Tiger Team" last fiscal year completed more than 15,000
claims, the majority of which were from veterans 70 and older or which had
been pending more than a year.

VA has seen the total number of claims drop from a peak of more than
600,000 in March to today's 463,000, which includes 343,000 claims awaiting
decisions for compensation and pension. Another 97,000 cases of all types
are pending on appeal.

Principi has set a goal to have no more than 250,000 disability
rating claims of all types pending. This figure reflects a normal inventory
that allows time to schedule medical exams and accumulate evidence. The
goal recognizes that veterans are allowed up to 60 days to respond to
requests for any needed information.
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