VBA Raters & Adjudicators - Backlog Pressure Causing Claims Errors

Reporter request Hello, This is Eric Katz, reporter in DC with a publication called NOTUS. I've done a lot of reporting on veterans and VA over the years, mostly in my previous job at Government Executive. I've noticed department/administration doing a lot of boasting of late on the claims backlog reduction. While undoubtedly impressive, I've heard from many folks inside the department that it has come at a cost - namely that VA is putting so much pressure on employees to reduce the backlog that employees are making more errors or moving claims through without fully assessing the files. I'm hoping someone here can reach out to discuss their experience over the last 18 months in interacting with VBA, including whether there have been any obvious errors or things that raters/adjudicators have missed. I know these are high stakes issues and there is a lot on the line with these decisions. My cell/Signal is 215-779-8842 or my email is [email redacted]. I understand some of this may be sensitive but I think it's an important story to tell, so I'd love to hear from any of you and appreciate your help. Eric