Veterans urged to show up for VES exams

Veterans urged to show up for VES exams

Veterans Evaluation Services (VES) has been awarded contracts with the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) and Veterans Health Administration (VHA) to provide medical disability examinations for compensation and pension purposes. However, many veterans who receive appointments letters from VES are not showing up for exams because they aren’t sure of the legitmacy of the letter.

VES handled Compensation & Pension exams throughout the world for the Department of Veterans Affairs, handles exams for veterans in 49 states and all U.S. territories, and is the sold VHA contractor for exams in Germany, Japan and South Korea. In 2014, VES conducted approximately 80,000 VA exams; only 3 percent of those were returned for reexamination.

The normal turnaround time is 21 days or less for VBA exams, 26 days for VHA exams, 35 days for Integrated Disability Evaluation System cases and 45 days or longer for exams conducted overseas.

Veterans who are contacted by VES need to report to the exams; not doing so can affect a VA claim. VES cannot provide transportation to the exams, and does not perform exams for incarcerated, pregnant, and Gulf War (undiagnosed illness) veterans.