An Audit Report on Performance Measures at the Veterans Commission
April 2009
Report Number 09-032
Overall Conclusion
The Veterans Commission (Commission) reported reliable results for four (67 percent) of six key performance measures tested for fiscal year 2008. A performance measure result is considered reliable if it is certified or certified with qualification. Factors prevented the certification of the remaining two performance measures that the auditors tested.
The following three key performance measures were certified with qualification primarily because the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) did not permit auditors to access detailed monthly reports of actual monetary awards and active cases and information related to input, processing, and output controls:
- Amount of VA Monetary Awards (in Millions of Dollars) Paid Because of Commission Advocacy in Claims Representation of Veterans with Service-connected Disabilities.
- Amount of VA Monetary Awards (in Millions of Dollars) Paid Because of Commission Advocacy in Claims Representation for Widows or Orphans of Veterans.
- Number of Active Veterans Benefits Cases for Veterans, Their Widows, or Their Orphans Represented by the Texas Veterans Commission.
One key performance measure--Veterans Employment Services Customers Served--was certified with qualification because the Commission did not have adequate controls to ensure the accuracy of performance measure information entered into the Automated Budget and Evaluation System of Texas (ABEST).
Factors prevented the certification of the following two key performance measures because the VA did not permit auditors to access veterans' files:
- Number of Claims for Veterans Benefits Filed and Developed on Behalf of Veterans with Service-connected Disabilities.
- Number of Appeals of Unfavorable Veterans Affairs Decisions Filed on Behalf of Veterans, Their Widows, or Their Orphans.
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