Monthly Hearing Branch/Rep Huddle: 21 01 2021

35
Monthly Hearing Branch/Rep Huddle: 21 01 2021 - Please mute both phone and MS Teams to avoid echo - Please state your name/org when speaking - Feel free to use the Teams text box for questions, we will have expert coordinators answering as the dialogue (monologue?) continues - I’ll drop the slide deck into MS Teams and the invite after the show - Spread the word about this routine “3 rd Thursday Huddle”!

Transcript of Monthly Hearing Branch/Rep Huddle: 21 01 2021

Page 1: Monthly Hearing Branch/Rep Huddle: 21 01 2021

Monthly Hearing Branch/Rep Huddle: 21 01 2021

- Please mute both phone and MS Teams to avoid echo- Please state your name/org when speaking- Feel free to use the Teams text box for questions, we will have expert

coordinators answering as the dialogue (monologue?) continues- I’ll drop the slide deck into MS Teams and the invite after the show- Spread the word about this routine “3rd Thursday Huddle”!

Page 2: Monthly Hearing Branch/Rep Huddle: 21 01 2021

Agenda

- Branch structure update- FY21 plan: Q2 (where we are)- FY21 plan: Q3 (where we’re going)- Virtual Tele-Hearing (VTH) Update- Blackout Date Tracker- MISC Topics- VSO Liaison/OAR comments

- Open Discussion

Page 3: Monthly Hearing Branch/Rep Huddle: 21 01 2021

GEO TeamAtlantic

Operations & Customer Service

GEO TeamNortheast

GEO TeamSoutheast

GEO TeamMountain

GEO TeamWest

GEO TeamCentral

Branch Chief

Hearing Management Branch Task Organization (as of 19 JAN)

Deputy Branch Chief

DeputyBranch Chief

DeputyBranch Chief

Rodney Anderson Bridget Malone Tim Owens

Ernie Poland (TL)Kristopher ChataraWil PeoplesRob LealJames ThomasShenita BinnsVACANT

Latonya Carter (TL)Faith S-BurgessCreola DavisMarcia JacksonJameson JeanJamie WrightJayson Farmer

Jennifer Simmons (TL)Savanna keelsKristian BerhostFred KaranovichKeisha BrownMaenylie WatsonCarmen Avent

Willie Thomas (TL)Chandra Tyler Cindy ThreatErnest FernandezThomas WilliamsVACANT

Lereiya E-M (TL) Tami JohnsonGina R-DMatt SaylorDiana WatsonVACANTVACANT

Matt Toomer (TL)Melanie SheltonMarvin SaintPreuxMike TheriotJulie StocktonMalvene FreemanSandra Alexis

Sal Ambriz (TL) LaShonda Unseld (MIL)Michelle ColeRobert CarterJames SmithKeShonda Pyos

Dave Dunphy

Crystal Colin – New OrleansLeah Young – St. Pete

Makeda Winston – Charleston Michael Kelly – Des Moines

Demetrius Pace – DC BVASarah Kohler – Philadelphia Carlee Miller – DROC DC

Ronald Berry – DROC, Baltimore

Maurice Robinson - Houston

Inbound~1 FEB

Page 4: Monthly Hearing Branch/Rep Huddle: 21 01 2021

248 41656

208

768

192

144

168

176

128

112

496

128

1265656

248

36

90152256128

24

312

42

600

672

336

136

144

304

344

800

16

56

6

72

64

248

324

06

24

304

200

312

224

200

84

32

128

144

16

40

West

Mountain

Central

Northeast

Atlantic

Southeast

130 (CO)

Ops TM

FY21 Geo-Team Areas of Operation (AOs)(Number indicates Q2 target hearings-held goal per state)

Page 5: Monthly Hearing Branch/Rep Huddle: 21 01 2021

State/RO Coordinator POC Listas of 1 JAN 21

(There have been changes since DEC’s MTG)

Team West [email protected] Team Central [email protected] Team Northeast [email protected]

Supervisor: Bridget Malone [email protected] Supervisor: Tim Owens [email protected] Supervisor: Rodney Anderson [email protected] Lead: Jennifer Simmons [email protected] Team Lead: Lereiya E-Martin [email protected] Team Lead: Laytonya Carter [email protected] Coordinator Email RO Coordinator Email RO Coordinator EmailAlbuquerque Carmen Owen Avent [email protected] Chicago Diana Watson [email protected] Baltimore Jamie Wright [email protected] Mae Watson [email protected] Indianapolis Tamara Johnson [email protected] Boston Faith Smith [email protected] Savanna Keels [email protected] Jackson Gina Robinson-Shaw [email protected] Buffalo Laytonya Carter [email protected] Carmen Owen Avent [email protected] Little Rock Matthew Saylor [email protected] Cleveland Jameson Jean [email protected] Harrison Kristian Berhost [email protected] Louisville Matthew Saylor [email protected] Detroit Jayson Farmer [email protected] Angeles Keisha Brown [email protected] Milwaukee Tamara Johnson [email protected] Hartford Jayson Farmer [email protected] Savanna Keels [email protected] New Orleans Gina Robinson-Shaw [email protected] Manchester Jamie Wright [email protected] Fred Karanovich [email protected] Nashville Lereiya E-Martin [email protected] New York Laytonya Carter [email protected]

Portland Kristian Berhost [email protected] St Louis Diana Watson [email protected] Newark Creola Davis [email protected]

Reno Keisha Brown [email protected] Philadelphia Marcia Jackson [email protected] Lake City Fred Karanovich [email protected] Team Atlantic [email protected] Pittsburgh Creola Davis [email protected] Diego Mae Watson [email protected] Supervisor: Tim Owens [email protected] Providence Faith Smith [email protected]

Seattle Jennifer Simmons [email protected] Team Lead: Matt Toomer [email protected] Togus Marcia Jackson [email protected]

RO Coordinator EmailTeam Mountain [email protected] Central Office Marvin SaintPreux [email protected] Team Southeast [email protected]

Supervisor: Bridget Malone [email protected] Columbia Julie Stockton [email protected] Supervisor: Rodney Anderson [email protected] Team Lead: Ernie Poland [email protected] Huntington Melanie Shelton [email protected] Team Lead: Willie Thomas [email protected] Coordinator Email Roanoke Mike Theriot [email protected] RO Coordinator EmailDes Moines Kristopher Chatara [email protected] Winston-Salem Sandra Alexis [email protected] Atlanta Ernest Fernandez [email protected]

Fargo Ernie Poland [email protected] Winston-Salem Malvene Freeman [email protected] Atlanta Cindy Threat [email protected]

Houston Thomas James [email protected] Montgomery Thomas Williams [email protected] Robert Leal [email protected] Team Operations [email protected] St. Petersburg Chandra Tyler [email protected]

Lincoln Robert Leal [email protected] Supervisor: Dave Dunphy [email protected] St. Petersburg Willie Thomas [email protected] Ernie Poland [email protected] Team Lead: Sal Ambriz [email protected] Falls Ernie Poland [email protected] RO Coordinator EmailSt Paul Kristopher Chatara [email protected] Anchorage Michelle Cole [email protected] Wilbert Peoples [email protected] Honolulu Robert Carter [email protected]

Wichita Kristopher Chatara [email protected] Manila Michelle Cole [email protected]

San Juan James Smith [email protected]

Page 6: Monthly Hearing Branch/Rep Huddle: 21 01 2021

FY21 Scheduling Milestones (1 of 2)

• 24 JUL 20: FY21 RO Blackout submissions Due-in• 1 AUG 20: FY21 VSO Blackout submissions• 1 AUG 20: Travel Board Schedule posted for FY21• 20 AUG 20: Publish FY21 Video/CO docket schedule in Caseflow

for the 1st QTR, FY21 [slide]. • 27 AUG 20: Begin scheduling dockets for open ROs (x8) on 1 OCT

and beyond (33 days out)• 01 SEP 20: Complete upload of FY21 standard notification letter• 23 SEP 20: VLJ 1st QTR FY21 Blackout Date entries for Video

dockets (tent)• 1 OCT 20: 90-day out VSO BOD modifications for 2nd QTR• NLT 15 NOV 20: Publish 2nd QTR FY21 Video/CO dockets in

Caseflow (maybe be all remaining QTRs)• 17 DEC 20: VLJ 2nd QTR FY21 Blackout Dates published and

dockets assigned

Page 7: Monthly Hearing Branch/Rep Huddle: 21 01 2021

• NLT 31 DEC 21: Publish 3rd QTR FY21 Video/CO dockets in Caseflow • 01 JAN 21: 90-day out VSO BOD Mods for 3rd QTR• OOA 26 FEB 21: Publish 4th QTR FY21 Video/CO dockets in Caseflow• 1 APR 21: 90-day out VSO BOD Mods for 4th QTR• NLT 1 MAR 21: Publish Q3 VLJ schedule• NLT 1 JUN 21: Publish Q4 VLJ Schedule• NLT 1 JUN 21: First Call for RO & VSO FY22 BODs• NLT 1 JUL 21: Publish FY22 Q1(+) dockets in Caseflow

FY21/22 Scheduling Milestones (2 of 2)

Page 8: Monthly Hearing Branch/Rep Huddle: 21 01 2021

• Hearing Branch remains at ~80% TW; 4-6 members are back at 425I St.

• Video Hearings: at 26 ROs open for Video hearings* [slide].

• Central Office Hearings: Open for face-to-face hearings as of 13 JUL 20. Vets can always opt in for a Virtual hearing or postpone; running hearings every WED in Q2/Q3

• Travel Boards: NONE

• Notes on Dispositions:

o Postponement is still an option for those uncomfortable with a face-to-face encounter (e.g., Video or Central Office hearings)

Note: postponed Vets will re-enter the queue as per case order number (based on Form 9 dates, etc.) This means that most Vets will be near the top of the list for next available reschedules (but full disclosure – ten months of postponements have generated a stout queue).

o Cancellations/Withdraws: can make up 10-15% of a state’s backlog/queue. Let us know soonest if your client will withdraw so we can backfill, save time, and clear out the queue (replying to the auto-generated Virtual email is ineffective).

o No-shows: can still happen – even for a Virtual tele-hearing! Please help us keep our Vets informed and make the most use of Judge time & docket space.

Current Operations2nd QTR, FY21

Page 9: Monthly Hearing Branch/Rep Huddle: 21 01 2021

VET

VET

VET

Vets waiting for Travel Board

hearings

(~11K Vets)

VET

VET

VET

Vets waiting for Video Hearings at

Closed ROs

(~44K Vets)

VET

VET

VET

New AMA Veterans

(~2K Vets/Mo)

FY21 BVAHearing Target Audiences

(TBD)

VET

VET

VET

Vets waiting for Video Hearing at

Open ROs(~30K Vets)

AA1

AA2AA3

Page 10: Monthly Hearing Branch/Rep Huddle: 21 01 2021

VET

VET

VET

Travel Board Off Ramp(~11K Vets)

VET REP

Vet & Rep consult on Virtual Tele-hearing feasibility

Vet/Rep calls BVA Call Center and confirms VTH opt-in:

(833) 220-3030

VET

REPVET

VET

REPVET

VET

REPVET

HMB Coordinator:• generates hearing link

email for Vet/Rep/VLJ

BVA BVA BVA

Call Center rep enters Vet name & case number in SharePoint Excel VTH queue

BVA

HMB RO Coordinator schedules Vet in Caseflow for VTH in docket order from SharePoint Excel queue

HMB

Caseflow

HMB Coordinator generates and sends VTH Notification Letter via Letter Creator and Package Manager (>30 days out)

VET

REPVET

HMB

Caseflow

1 2 3

4 5 6

7 8

VET

REPVET

Withdraw? Fax written request to (844) 678-8979, or mail to BVA, P.O. Box 27063, Washington, DC 20038.

BVA

DP

Letters out in 1st QTR FY21 informing Vets/Reps of TB delays and VTH off-ramp opportunities (1000-1500 Vet increments)

VTH occurs as scheduled

Vet & Rep test equipment:

Visit the VA Video Connect test siteTroubleshoot with Tech Help Desk:(855) 519-7116

BVA

VET

REPVET

HMB

Caseflow

AA1

Letters Sent 10,961

Total Calls 2,513

Total Vets 2,509

AVG Calls/Day 33

Opt In Rate 22.9%

# Complete 2,251

Vets Pending 258

% Complete 89.7%

30-Day % Compliant 99.96%

Page 11: Monthly Hearing Branch/Rep Huddle: 21 01 2021

RO Can/WD Held No Show PP Sched TOT Show Rt RO Can/WD Held No Show PP Sched TOT Show Rt

Albuquerque, NM 7 22 55 84 26.9% Milwaukee, WI 10 30 10 108 158 85.4%

Anchorage, AK 2 14 16 N/A Montgomery, AL 3 20 40 192 255 64.7%

Atlanta, GA 13 131 1 61 454 663 77.4% Muskogee, OK 5 13 76 200 295 21.8%

Baltimore, MD 3 27 7 89 126 85.3% Nashville, TN 10 39 41 252 343 64.5%

Boise, ID 2 1 1 7 23 34 16.7% New Orleans, LA 3 24 1 27 126 182 70.0%

Boston, MA 1 29 2 10 128 171 75.6% New York, NY 4 17 2 11 94 128 83.3%

Buffalo, NY 7 3 50 60 87.5% Newark, NJ 3 27 2 15 108 155 66.7%

Central Office 1 14 1 20 78 114 53.6% Oakland, CA 31 2 50 183 266 40.8%

Cheyenne, WY 1 5 6 N/A Philadelphia, PA 7 44 2 19 181 254 75.8%

Chicago, IL 7 32 1 48 169 257 60.3% Phoenix, AZ 5 29 1 75 126 236 34.0%

Cleveland, OH 9 13 22 387 431 82.4% Pittsburgh, PA 3 14 16 90 124 51.5%

Columbia, SC 7 33 6 24 217 289 75.9% Portland, OR 3 34 1 14 157 209 72.5%

Denver, CO 14 42 4 31 257 348 69.6% Providence, RI 1 23 24 N/A

Des Moines, IA 1 3 6 39 49 57.1% Reno, NV 2 17 13 56 89 65.5%

Detroit, MI 1 41 24 159 225 78.8% Roanoke, VA 7 42 1 38 247 336 64.9%

Ft. Harrison, MT 1 1 12 14 N/A Salt Lake City, UT 1 5 12 19 37 45.5%

Hartford, CT 1 2 3 4 48 58 33.3% San Diego, CA 3 6 16 58 83 39.1%

Honolulu, HI 1 7 28 38 74 77.8% San Juan, PR 1 2 10 13 N/A

Houston, TX 14 28 152 492 686 27.2% Seattle, WA 2 23 1 45 92 163 46.2%

Huntington, WV 7 43 21 128 201 79.4% Sioux Falls, SD 1 15 16 N/A

Indianapolis, IN 4 24 7 4 83 122 75.8% St. Louis, MO 26 1 18 91 136 65.0%

Jackson, MS 2 21 2 22 85 132 56.1% St. Paul, MN 2 10 29 106 147 33.3%

Lincoln, NE 2 12 23 37 N/A St. Petersburg, FL 30 122 2 144 501 803 67.1%

Little Rock, AR 16 12 20 121 169 50.0% Togus, ME 52 52 N/A

Los Angeles, CA 7 50 95 227 380 47.9% Waco, TX 7 59 3 102 199 370 43.8%

Louisville, KY 21 18 25 124 188 51.0% Wichita, KS 1 6 8 30 45 100.0%

Manchester, NH 6 9 40 55 60.0% Winston-Salem, NC 17 78 99 342 541 64.3%

Manila, PI 6 6 N/A Grand Total 264 1,307 47 1,603 7,209 10,455 58.8%

Q2 Hearing Stats (through 20 JAN)

REP

Page 12: Monthly Hearing Branch/Rep Huddle: 21 01 2021

• Video/Hybrid Hearings: at 26 ROs*

• Virtual Tele-Hearings in 30 States

• Central Office Hearings: Will conduct hearings on each WED for up to 10 Vets

• Travel Boards: Not forecasted in these QTRs

• Record Number of planned hearings (10.5K)

• Most Q2 hearings will be Virtual or “hybrid”

• Caseflow has populated dockets for ALL ROs, whether open or not. If the RO is open: Video docket (6 per), if closed: Virtual Docket (8 per) [slide]

• Dockets, regardless of CONUS/HI/AK time zones, will not start before 0830EST; last hearing of the day will start NLT 1630EST

• No additions within 10 days of execution

2nd/3rd QTR, FY21“Ludicrous Speed!”

Page 13: Monthly Hearing Branch/Rep Huddle: 21 01 2021

Q2HearingStatusby RO

Current date: 1/21/2021

RO Team Coordinator

Current Docket

Date

Current Report

Total Days Out

Open For

Hearings?

Scheduling

Method

Total Docket

Days

Slots per

Docket

QTR Goal

Hearings

Scheduled

Hearings

Hearings

Remaining

% To

Plan

Albuquerque West Carmen Owen Avent 12-Apr-21 81 No Vid-to-VTH 8 8 62 62 0 99.5%

Anchorage SpecOps Michelle Cole 19-Apr-21 88 Yes Video 2 6 11 14 -3 129.2%

Atlanta SE Ernest Fernandez/Cindy Threat 30-Mar-21 68 No Vid-to-VTH 84 8 672 598 74 89.0%

Baltimore NE Jamie Wright 13-Apr-21 82 No Vid-to-VTH 16 8 125 119 6 95.0%

Boise West Mae Watson 19-Apr-21 88 Yes Video 4 6 25 26 -1 102.2%

Boston NE Faith Smith 24-Mar-21 62 Yes Video 21 6 124 158 -34 127.5%

Buffalo NE Laytonya Carter 26-Jun-21 156 No Vid-to-VTH 7 8 58 57 1 98.9%

Central Office Atlantic Marvin SaintPreux 21-Apr-21 90 Yes Video 13 6 78 93 -15 119.2%

Cheyenne West Savanna Keels 19-Apr-21 88 Yes Video 1 6 6 5 1 83.6%

Chicago Central Diana Watson 5-Apr-21 74 No Vid-to-VTH 31 8 248 208 40 83.9%

Cleveland NE Jameson Jean 1-Apr-21 70 No Vid-to-VTH 52 8 416 409 7 98.3%

Columbia Atlantic Julie Stockton 1-Apr-21 70 Yes Video 49 6 294 257 37 87.4%

Denver West Carmen Owen Avent 1-Apr-21 70 Yes Video 54 6 324 313 11 96.6%

Des Moines Mountain Kristopher Chatara 13-May-21 112 Yes Video 7 6 42 43 -1 101.4%

Detroit NE Jayson Farmer 1-Apr-21 70 No Vid-to-VTH 26 8 206 201 5 97.5%

Fargo Mountain Ernie Poland 19-Apr-21 88 Yes Video 0 6 0 0 0 100.0%

Fort Harrison West Kristian Berhost 19-Apr-21 88 Yes Video 1 6 9 13 -4 148.2%

Hartford NE Jayson Farmer 17-May-21 116 No Vid-to-VTH 3 8 28 51 -23 185.4%

Honolulu SpecOps Robert Carter 21-Apr-21 90 No Vid-to-VTH 7 8 57 46 11 80.6%

Houston Mountain Thomas James/Rob Leal 2-Mar-21 40 No Vid-to-VTH 100 8 800 534 266 66.8%

Huntington Atlantic Melanie Shelton 9-Mar-21 47 No Vid-to-VTH 31 8 248 178 70 71.8%

Indianapolis Central Tamara Johnson 1-Apr-21 70 Yes Video 16 6 95 111 -16 116.5%

Jackson Central Gina Robinson-Shaw 6-Apr-21 75 No Vid-to-VTH 17 8 139 108 31 78.0%

Lincoln Mountain Robert Leal 13-Apr-21 82 No Vid-to-VTH 3 8 28 25 3 89.5%

Little Rock Central Matthew Saylor 2-Apr-21 71 No Vid-to-VTH 18 8 144 149 -5 103.5%

Los Angeles West Keisha Brown 1-Apr-21 70 No Vid-to-VTH 38 8 304 284 20 93.4%

Louisville Central Matthew Saylor 6-Apr-21 75 No Vid-to-VTH 18 8 142 163 -21 114.8%

Manchester NE Jamie Wright 12-Apr-21 81 Yes Video 6 6 34 46 -12 136.5%

Manila SpecOps Michelle Cole 20-May-21 119 Yes Video 1 6 6 6 0 99.1%

Milwaukee Central Tamara Johnson 1-Apr-21 70 No Vid-to-VTH 21 8 164 148 16 90.0%

Montgomery SE Thomas Williams 2-Apr-21 71 No Vid-to-VTH 38 8 306 215 91 70.4%

Muskogee Mountain Ernie Poland 2-Apr-21 71 No Vid-to-VTH 25 8 199 218 -19 109.7%

Nashville Central Lereiya E-Martin 31-Mar-21 69 No Vid-to-VTH 43 8 344 301 43 87.5%

New Orleans Central Gina Robinson-Shaw 6-Apr-21 75 Yes Video 22 6 132 153 -21 115.9%

New York NE Laytonya Carter 23-Jun-21 153 No Vid-to-VTH 15 8 117 115 2 98.0%

Newark NE Creola Davis 1-Apr-21 70 No Vid-to-VTH 19 8 153 138 15 90.5%

Oakland West Savanna Keels 6-Apr-21 75 No Vid-to-VTH 39 8 312 214 98 68.6%

Philadelphia NE Marcia Jackson 5-Apr-21 74 No Vid-to-VTH 32 8 256 232 24 90.6%

Phoenix West Fred Karanovich 14-Apr-21 83 Yes Video 28 6 168 160 8 95.2%

Pittsburgh NE Creola Davis 2-Apr-21 71 Yes Video 16 6 93 107 -14 114.5%

Portland West Kristian Berhost 1-Apr-21 70 No Vid-to-VTH 25 8 200 194 6 97.0%

Providence NE Faith Smith 20-May-21 119 Yes Video 3 6 16 23 -7 142.0%

Reno West Keisha Brown 13-Apr-21 82 Yes Video 14 6 85 75 10 87.9%

Roanoke Atlantic Mike Theriot 13-Apr-21 82 Yes Video 52 6 312 296 16 94.9%

Salt Lake City West Fred Karanovich 20-May-21 119 No Vid-to-VTH 4 8 29 25 4 86.1%

San Diego West Mae Watson 12-Apr-21 81 Yes Video 16 6 97 67 30 69.2%

Seattle West Jennifer Simmons 4-Apr-21 73 No Vid-to-VTH 18 8 145 117 28 80.5%

Sioux Falls Mountain Ernie Poland 13-Apr-21 82 Yes Video 2 6 13 15 -2 119.2%

St. Louis Central Diana Watson 13-Apr-21 82 No Vid-to-VTH 16 8 130 117 13 90.2%

St. Paul Mountain Kristopher Chatara 12-Apr-21 81 No Vid-to-VTH 14 8 111 118 -7 106.7%

St. Petersburg SE Chandra Tyler/Willie Thomas 2-Apr-21 71 Yes Video 100 6 600 653 -53 108.8%

Togus NE Marcia Jackson 12-Apr-21 81 Yes Video 7 6 45 52 -7 115.6%

Waco Mountain Wilbert Peoples 5-Mar-21 43 Yes Video 63 6 378 265 113 70.1%

Wichita Mountain Kristopher Chatara 13-Apr-21 82 Yes Video 5 6 33 37 -4 113.1%

Winston-Salem Atlantic Sandra Alexis/Malvene Freeman 25-Feb-21 35 Yes Video 100 6 600 437 163 72.8%

1,371 9,762 8,769

Next Open Docket

DocketsScheduled out

to days

Page 14: Monthly Hearing Branch/Rep Huddle: 21 01 2021

VET

VET

VET

Vets waiting for Travel Board

hearings

(~11K Vets)

VET

VET

VET

Vets waiting for Video Hearings at

Closed ROs

(~44K Vets)

VET

VET

VET

New AMA Veterans

(~2K Vets/Mo)

FY21 BVAHearing Target Audiences

(TBD)

VET

VET

VET

Vets waiting for Video Hearing at

Open ROs

(~30K Vets)

AA1

AA2AA3

Page 15: Monthly Hearing Branch/Rep Huddle: 21 01 2021

RO/State Status & TTPs

Open for Video Hearings:

• 6-Vet (max) per room Dockets• Schedule Standard Video Hearings

in CF• Send Standard notification letters

to both Vet & Rep (Package Manager >60 days out)•Notification letter includes info on

Virtual conversions• Convert hearings to Virtual upon

request by Vet/Rep

Closed for Video Hearings (Virtual Only):

• 8-Vet (max) per Docket• Schedule “Standard Video Hearing”

appointments in CF• Send IDT “Video-to-Virtual”snail-mail

notification letters for both Vet & Rep [slide]• Convert scheduled CF Video hearings

to Virtual when Vet/Rep emails back to Geo Team inbox [slide]•Or…utilize VSOs/PAs to bring you VTH

customers to fill gaps in already-planned dockets

RO

Providence (1 FEB)

Anchorage

Boise

Boston

Central Office

Cheyenne

Columbia

Denver

Des Moines

Fargo

Fort Harrison

Indianapolis

Manchester

Manila

New Orleans

Phoenix

Pittsburgh

Reno

Roanoke

San Diego

Sioux Falls

St. Petersburg

Togus

Waco

Wichita

Winston-Salem

RO

Albuquerque

Atlanta

Baltimore

Buffalo

Chicago

Cleveland

Detroit

Hartford

Honolulu

Houston

Huntington

Jackson

Lincoln

Little Rock

Los Angeles

Louisville

Milwaukee

Montgomery

Muskogee

Nashville

New York

Newark

Oakland

Philadelphia

Portland

Salt Lake City

San Juan

Seattle

St. Louis

St. Paul

AA 2 AA 3

Page 16: Monthly Hearing Branch/Rep Huddle: 21 01 2021

VET REP

No Withdraw? Vet & Rep consult on Virtual Tele-hearing feasibility

VET

REPVET

3 4VET

REPVET

Withdraw? Fax written request to (844) 678-8979, or mail to BVA, P.O. Box 27063, Washington, DC 20038.

BVA

DP

VTH occurs as scheduled

Vet & Rep test equipment (use Chrome):Visit the VA Video Connect test siteTroubleshoot with Help Desk if required:(855) 519-7116

HMB Coordinator schedules Vet for a Video hearing date in Caseflow (e.g., 08:30AM on 24 NOV 2020) only at closed RO locations

1

BVA

HMB

Caseflow

HMB Coordinator generates and sends Vid-to Virtual notification letter via IDT and Package Manager (~ 60 days out)

VET

REPVET

HMB

Caseflow

2

H-60 H-55

NLT H-15 H-10H-Day

HMB HC checks docket status: postpones non-opt ins, identifies vacancies, and leverages VSOs or TB Off Ramp to backfill gaps (waive 30-day notification)

8

BVA

HMB

Caseflow

AA3Video-to-Virtual Opt InCONOP(Only for CLOSED ROs)

Vet/Rep emails Geo-Team & includes:• Name• RO#• DTG of hearing• Vet/Rep email

Geo-TM Coordinator:• Looks up Vet by docket

day, RO & name• converts existing Video

Hearing in Caseflow to Virtual

VET

REPVET

HMB

Caseflow

65

Geo-Team Inbox

Geo-TM Coordinator:• Uploads email as

record of opt in• generates hearing link

email & distributes to Vet/Rep/VLJ

VET

REPVET

HMB

Caseflow

7

Max of Eight Hearings

Identify Gaps & Backfill Vacancies

Page 17: Monthly Hearing Branch/Rep Huddle: 21 01 2021

Closed ROs: Video-to-Virtual Notification Letter (p1 of 2)

February 17, 2021 at 9:45 am

Page 18: Monthly Hearing Branch/Rep Huddle: 21 01 2021

Closed ROs: Video-to-Virtual Notification Letter (p2 of 2)

[email protected] 1

2

NOTE

Page 19: Monthly Hearing Branch/Rep Huddle: 21 01 2021

Virtual Tele-Hearing Veteran Email Example

Virtual Tele-Hearing Representative Email Example

SOON

SOON

Page 20: Monthly Hearing Branch/Rep Huddle: 21 01 2021

Team/RO 4-Jan 5-Jan 6-Jan 7-Jan 8-Jan 11-Jan 12-Jan 13-Jan 14-Jan 15-Jan 18-Jan 19-Jan 20-Jan 21-Jan 22-Jan 25-Jan 26-Jan 27-Jan 28-Jan 29-Jan

Atlantic 4 3 5 4 4 4 5 5 4 4 3 4 4 5 4 4 3 4

Columbia, SC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Huntington, WV 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Roanoke, VA 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Winston-Salem, NC 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

Central 5 5 5 2 5 4 5 5 4 5 4 1 4 4 4 4

Chicago, IL 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Indianapolis, IN 1 1 1 1 1

Jackson, MS 1 1 1 1 1 1

Little Rock, AR 1 1 1 1 1 1

Louisville, KY 1 1 1 1 1 1

Milwaukee, WI 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Nashville, TN 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

New Orleans, LA 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

St. Louis, MO 1 1 1 1 1

Mountain 2 4 4 6 4 2 3 3 3 3 3 7 2 3 3 4 3 4

Des Moines, IA 1 1

Houston, TX 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 2

Lincoln, NE 1

Muskogee, OK 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Sioux Falls, SD 1

St. Paul, MN 1 1 1 1 1

Waco, TX 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Wichita, KS 1 1

NE 3 3 2 6 3 5 2 2 5 3 6 5 5 5 2 7 2 5

Baltimore, MD 1 1 1 1 1

Boston, MA 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Buffalo, NY 1 1

Cleveland, OH 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

Detroit, MI 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Hartford, CT 1 1

Manchester, NH 1 1

New York, NY 1 1 1 1 1

Newark, NJ 1 1 1 1 1 1

Philadelphia, PA 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Pittsburgh, PA 1 1 1 1 1

Providence, RI 1

Togus, ME

SE 5 5 5 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5

Atlanta, GA 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

Montgomery, AL 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

St. Petersburg, FL 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

SpecOps 1 1 1 1 2

Anchorage, AK 1

Honolulu, HI 1 1

Manila, PI

San Juan, PR 1 1 1

West 5 5 4 6 5 7 5 5 7 5 7 2 5 4 1 4 1 4

Albuquerque, NM 1 1 1

Boise, ID 1

Cheyenne, WY

Denver, CO 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Ft. Harrison, MT

Los Angeles, CA 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Oakland, CA 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Phoenix, AZ 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Portland, OR 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Reno, NV 1 1 1 1 1

Salt Lake City, UT 1

San Diego, CA 1 1 1 1 1

Seattle, WA 1 1 1 1 1 1

Grand Total 24 25 25 29 25 26 24 24 28 24 0 29 0 25 25 26 15 30 14 26

Q2 (JAN)Docket Schedule

MLK

Jr.

We

eken

d

Inau

gura

tio

n D

ay

Page 21: Monthly Hearing Branch/Rep Huddle: 21 01 2021

Q2 (FEB)Docket Schedule

Team/RO 1-Feb 2-Feb 3-Feb 4-Feb 5-Feb 8-Feb 9-Feb 10-Feb 11-Feb 12-Feb 15-Feb 16-Feb 17-Feb 18-Feb 19-Feb 22-Feb 23-Feb 24-Feb 25-Feb 26-Feb

Atlantic 4 3 5 4 3 4 4 4 4 4 4 5 4 5 5 5 5 4

Columbia, SC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Huntington, WV 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Roanoke, VA 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Winston-Salem, NC 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

Central 2 4 6 1 6 6 5 5 3 3 5 4 4 3 4 5 4

Chicago, IL 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Indianapolis, IN 1 1 1 1 1 1

Jackson, MS 1 1 1 1 1

Little Rock, AR 1 1 1 1 1 1

Louisville, KY 1 1 1 1 1 1

Milwaukee, WI 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Nashville, TN 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

New Orleans, LA 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

St. Louis, MO 1 1 1 1 1 1

Mountain 5 4 4 5 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 3 3 4 4 4 4 4

Des Moines, IA 1 1 1

Houston, TX 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

Lincoln, NE 1

Muskogee, OK 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Sioux Falls, SD

St. Paul, MN 1 1 1 1

Waco, TX 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Wichita, KS 1

NE 8 5 2 6 4 4 5 6 1 5 5 3 5 4 5 4 3 5

Baltimore, MD 1 1 1 1 1 1

Boston, MA 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Buffalo, NY 1 1 1

Cleveland, OH 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

Detroit, MI 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Hartford, CT 1 1 1

Manchester, NH 1 1

New York, NY 1 1 1 1 1

Newark, NJ 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Philadelphia, PA 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Pittsburgh, PA 1 1 1 1 1 1

Providence, RI 1

Togus, ME 1 1 1 1

SE 4 6 5 4 5 5 4 3 3 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4

Atlanta, GA 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Montgomery, AL 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

St. Petersburg, FL 2 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

SpecOps 2 2 1 1 1

Anchorage, AK

Honolulu, HI 1 1 1

Manila, PI 1

San Juan, PR 1 1 1

West 4 5 6 6 7 6 6 5 1 5 5 5 5 4 4 4 4 4

Albuquerque, NM 1 1

Boise, ID 1 1

Cheyenne, WY 1

Denver, CO 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Ft. Harrison, MT 1

Los Angeles, CA 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Oakland, CA 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Phoenix, AZ 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Portland, OR 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Reno, NV 1 1 1 1

Salt Lake City, UT 1 1

San Diego, CA 1 1 1 1 1 1

Seattle, WA 1 1 1 1 1 1

Grand Total 29 27 28 28 29 29 29 28 14 25 0 25 25 0 25 25 25 25 25 25

Pre

sid

ent’

s D

ay W

eek

end

Bra

nch

Tra

inin

g D

ay (

and

VSO

Hu

dd

le)

Page 22: Monthly Hearing Branch/Rep Huddle: 21 01 2021

Q2 (MAR)Docket Schedule

Team/RO 1-Mar 2-Mar 3-Mar 4-Mar 5-Mar 8-Mar 9-Mar 10-Mar 11-Mar 12-Mar 15-Mar 16-Mar 17-Mar 18-Mar 19-Mar 22-Mar 23-Mar 24-Mar 25-Mar 26-Mar 29-Mar 30-Mar 31-Mar Total

Atlantic 5 3 4 4 4 4 5 2 2 4 2 5 5 5 4 1 1 1 1 1 5 225

Columbia, SC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 42

Huntington, WV 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 31

Roanoke, VA 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 52

Winston-Salem, NC 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 100

Central 3 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 3 5 3 4 5 4 5 1 1 4 202

Chicago, IL 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 31

Indianapolis, IN 1 1 1 1 1 16

Jackson, MS 1 1 1 1 1 1 17

Little Rock, AR 1 1 1 1 1 1 18

Louisville, KY 1 1 1 1 1 1 18

Milwaukee, WI 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 21

Nashville, TN 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 43

New Orleans, LA 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 22

St. Louis, MO 1 1 1 1 1 16

Mountain 4 4 3 4 4 4 3 4 5 3 6 2 2 2 2 3 3 5 3 3 3 3 4 214

Des Moines, IA 1 1 7

Houston, TX 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 2 2 2 2 2 96

Lincoln, NE 1 3

Muskogee, OK 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 25

Sioux Falls, SD 1 2

St. Paul, MN 1 1 1 1 1 14

Waco, TX 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 62

Wichita, KS 1 1 5

NE 4 5 5 6 4 5 4 6 6 4 5 4 3 4 4 2 5 227

Baltimore, MD 1 1 1 1 1 16

Boston, MA 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 21

Buffalo, NY 1 1 7

Cleveland, OH 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 52

Detroit, MI 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 26

Hartford, CT 1 1 7

Manchester, NH 1 1 6

New York, NY 1 1 1 1 1 15

Newark, NJ 1 1 1 1 1 1 19

Philadelphia, PA 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 32

Pittsburgh, PA 1 1 1 1 1 16

Providence, RI 1 3

Togus, ME 1 1 1 7

SE 4 4 2 2 4 2 4 2 1 4 1 4 4 4 4 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 4 219

Atlanta, GA 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 84

Montgomery, AL 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 38

St. Petersburg, FL 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 97

SpecOps 1 1 2 2 19

Anchorage, AK 1 2

Honolulu, HI 1 1 7

Manila, PI 1

San Juan, PR 1 1 1 9

West 4 5 6 6 5 6 5 5 5 5 4 5 5 5 5 2 1 3 250

Albuquerque, NM 1 1 1 8

Boise, ID 1 4

Cheyenne, WY 1

Denver, CO 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 54

Ft. Harrison, MT 1

Los Angeles, CA 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 38

Oakland, CA 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 39

Phoenix, AZ 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 28

Portland, OR 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 25

Reno, NV 1 1 1 1 1 14

Salt Lake City, UT 1 4

San Diego, CA 1 1 1 1 1 16

Seattle, WA 1 1 1 1 1 1 18

Grand Total 24 25 24 26 25 26 25 24 24 25 23 24 24 24 24 5 5 12 4 6 5 5 25 1356

Page 23: Monthly Hearing Branch/Rep Huddle: 21 01 2021

Team RO 1-Apr 2-Apr 3-Apr 4-Apr 5-Apr 6-Apr 7-Apr 8-Apr 9-Apr 10-Apr 11-Apr 12-Apr 13-Apr 14-Apr 15-Apr 16-Apr 17-Apr 18-Apr 19-Apr 20-Apr 21-Apr 22-Apr 23-Apr 24-Apr 25-Apr 26-Apr 27-Apr 28-Apr 29-Apr 30-Apr

Atlantic Columbia, SC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Atlantic Winston-Salem, NC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1

Atlantic Huntington, WV 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1

Atlantic Roanoke, VA 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Atlantic Central Office 1 1 1 1

Central Chicago, IL 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Central Indianapolis, IN 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Central Little Rock, AR 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Central Milwaukee, WI 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1

Central Nashville, TN 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0

Central New Orleans, LA 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 1

Central Jackson, MS 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Central Louisville, KY 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Central St. Louis, MO 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1

Mountain Houston, TX 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

Mountain Waco, TX 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Mountain Muskogee, OK 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1

Mountain Des Moines, IA 1 0 1

Mountain Fargo, ND

Mountain Lincoln, NE 0 1

Mountain Sioux Falls, SD 1

Mountain St. Paul, MN 1 0 1 0 1 0

Mountain Wichita, KS 0 1 1

NE Cleveland, OH 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2

NE Detroit, MI 0 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0

NE Newark, NJ 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0

NE Philadelphia, PA 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1

NE Baltimore, MD 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

NE Boston, MA 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

NE Buffalo, NY 1 1 1

NE Hartford, CT 1

NE Manchester, NH 1 0

NE New York, NY 1 1 1 1 1

NE Pittsburgh, PA 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 1

NE Providence, RI 1

NE Togus, ME 1 0

SE Atlanta, GA 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

SE St. Petersburg, FL 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 1 1 1

SE Montgomery, AL 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 2

SpecOps Anchorage, AK 1

SpecOps Honolulu, HI 1 1 1

SpecOps Manila, PI

SpecOps San Juan, PR 1 1 1 1 1

West Denver, CO 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 1

West Los Angeles, CA 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 1

West Oakland, CA 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1

West Portland, OR 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 1

West Albuquerque, NM 0 1 0 1

West Boise, ID 1

West Cheyenne, WY 1

West Ft. Harrison, MT 0

West Phoenix, AZ 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 1

West Reno, NV 1 0 1 0 1

West Salt Lake City, UT 1 1

West San Diego, CA 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0

West Seattle, WA 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 1

Grand Total 35 35 35 35 36 35 35 35 35 36 35 24 9 36 2 35 35 35 36 35 35

New Total 23 24 25 25 25 25 25 24 23 24 22 20 7 24 2 23 23 24 25 25 25

Tentative Q3 Docket Schedule (APR 21)

Bra

nch

Tra

inin

g D

ay (

VSO

Hu

dd

le)

Page 24: Monthly Hearing Branch/Rep Huddle: 21 01 2021

Team RO 1-May 2-May 3-May 4-May 5-May 6-May 7-May 8-Mar 9-Mar 10-May 11-May 12-May 13-May 14-May 15-May 16-May 17-May 18-May 19-May 20-May 21-May 22-May 23-May 24-May 25-May 26-May 27-May 28-May 29-May 30-May 31-May

Atlantic Columbia, SC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 2

Atlantic Winston-Salem, NC 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 1

Atlantic Huntington, WV 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 1

Atlantic Roanoke, VA 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 1

Atlantic Central Office 1 1 1 1

Central Chicago, IL 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Central Indianapolis, IN 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1

Central Little Rock, AR 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0

Central Milwaukee, WI 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1

Central Nashville, TN 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0

Central New Orleans, LA 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1

Central Jackson, MS 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 0

Central Louisville, KY 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1

Central St. Louis, MO 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1

Mountain Houston, TX 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 2

Mountain Waco, TX 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 1 1 1

Mountain Muskogee, OK 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Mountain Des Moines, IA 0 1 1 1

Mountain Fargo, ND

Mountain Lincoln, NE 0

Mountain Sioux Falls, SD 1

Mountain St. Paul, MN 1 1 0 1 0 1 1

Mountain Wichita, KS 1 1

NE Cleveland, OH 1 2 1 1 2 1 1 2 1 1 2 2 2 1

NE Detroit, MI 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

NE Newark, NJ 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 1

NE Philadelphia, PA 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0

NE Baltimore, MD 1 1 1 0 0 0 1

NE Boston, MA 1 1 1 0 0 0 1 0

NE Buffalo, NY 1 1

NE Hartford, CT 1 1

NE Manchester, NH 1 1

NE New York, NY 1 1 1 1 1

NE Pittsburgh, PA 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 1

NE Providence, RI 1 1

NE Togus, ME 1 1 1

SE Atlanta, GA 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

SE St. Petersburg, FL 1 2 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

SE Montgomery, AL 2 2 2 2 2 1 2 2 2 2

SpecOps Anchorage, AK 1

SpecOps Honolulu, HI 1 1 1 1

SpecOps Manila, PI 1

SpecOps San Juan, PR 1 1 1 1 1

West Denver, CO 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 1 1

West Los Angeles, CA 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 1

West Oakland, CA 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 1 1

West Portland, OR 1 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 1

West Albuquerque, NM 1 1 1 0

West Boise, ID 1

West Cheyenne, WY

West Ft. Harrison, MT

West Phoenix, AZ 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 1

West Reno, NV 1 0 1 1 0 1

West Salt Lake City, UT 0

West San Diego, CA 0 1 1 0 1 1 1 0 1

West Seattle, WA 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0

Grand Total 35 35 36 35 35 35 35 36 35 35 21 7 36 35 35 35 35 36 35 35

New Total 25 26 24 25 25 23 24 23 21 24 21 6 23 21 23 24 25 24 26 24

Tentative Q3 Docket Schedule (MAY 21)

Mem

ori

al D

ay W

eek

end

Page 25: Monthly Hearing Branch/Rep Huddle: 21 01 2021

Team RO 1-Jun 2-Jun 3-Jun 4-Jun 5-Jun 6-Jun 7-Jun 8-Jun 9-Jun 10-Jun 11-Jun 12-Jun 13-Jun 14-Jun 15-Jun 16-Jun 17-Jun 18-Jun 19-Jun 20-Jun 21-Jun 22-Jun 23-Jun 24-Jun 25-Jun 26-Jun 27-Jun 28-Jun 29-Jun 30-Jun TOT

Atlantic Columbia, SC 2 2 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 60

Atlantic Winston-Salem, NC 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 2 2 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 117

Atlantic Huntington, WV 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 60

Atlantic Roanoke, VA 0 0 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 60

Atlantic Central Office 1 1 1 1 1 13

Central Chicago, IL 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 60

Central Indianapolis, IN 0 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 37

Central Little Rock, AR 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 32

Central Milwaukee, WI 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 30

Central Nashville, TN 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 60

Central New Orleans, LA 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 50

Central Jackson, MS 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 26

Central Louisville, KY 0 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 25

Central St. Louis, MO 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 25

Mountain Houston, TX 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 166

Mountain Waco, TX 1 2 1 2 2 2 1 0 2 1 1 1 1 1 0 90

Mountain Muskogee, OK 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 35

Mountain Des Moines, IA 1 0 1 10

Mountain Fargo, ND 0

Mountain Lincoln, NE 1 1 5

Mountain Sioux Falls, SD 0 3

Mountain St. Paul, MN 1 1 1 1 1 0 19

Mountain Wichita, KS 0 0 1 8

NE Cleveland, OH 1 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 2 2 2 2 83

NE Detroit, MI 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 39

NE Newark, NJ 0 1 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 1 30

NE Philadelphia, PA 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 41

NE Baltimore, MD 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 21

NE Boston, MA 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 0 24

NE Buffalo, NY 1 1 1 8

NE Hartford, CT 0 4

NE Manchester, NH 1 1 6

NE New York, NY 1 1 1 1 1 15

NE Pittsburgh, PA 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 25

NE Providence, RI 0 4

NE Togus, ME 0 1 7

SE Atlanta, GA 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 118

SE St. Petersburg, FL 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 2 2 170

SE Montgomery, AL 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 57

SpecOps Anchorage, AK 1 3

SpecOps Honolulu, HI 1 1 1 10

SpecOps Manila, PI 1

SpecOps San Juan, PR 1 1 1 1 1 15

West Denver, CO 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 51

West Los Angeles, CA 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 53

West Oakland, CA 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 55

West Portland, OR 0 1 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 33

West Albuquerque, NM 1 1 0 1 12

West Boise, ID 1 3

West Cheyenne, WY 1 2

West Ft. Harrison, MT 1 2

West Phoenix, AZ 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 35

West Reno, NV 1 1 1 1 0 16

West Salt Lake City, UT 1 1 5

West San Diego, CA 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 25

West Seattle, WA 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 1 28

Grand Total 35 36 35 35 35 35 36 35 35 35 35 36 35 4 15 36 7 35 35 35 36 1992

New Total 20 22 23 23 25 24 25 20 24 25 24 22 25 4 13 23 7 25 25 26 25 1370

Tentative Q3 Docket Schedule (JUN 21)Current

41

80

41

47

13

41

25

22

20

41

34

18

17

17

112

61

28

7

0

3

2

13

5

57

27

21

29

16

17

8

3

5

15

18

3

5

80

116

39

3

10

1

15

35

36

37

22

8

3

2

1

26

11

4

17

21

1399

Bra

nch

Tra

inin

g D

ay (

VSO

Hu

dd

le)

Page 26: Monthly Hearing Branch/Rep Huddle: 21 01 2021

Virtual Tele-Hearings (VTH)“But Why?”

• Pandemic, schmandemic: Don’t let a little COVID-19 or a snow day get in the way of your clients’ hearing opportunities!

• If you sign up, bear with the possibility of some small ‘technical difficulties’ in the launch. It can be a little frustrating, but we’ll get there.

• You can help by vetting your clients for hardware/software requirements & comfort; we can help you help!

• If you are interested, please write to your Geo Team Leads or Coordinators, or our PMs, Bridget, at [email protected] and Salvador Ambriz, at [email protected] .

Why Travel to the RO? Pitch from your couch, your office, or even your car (we recommend having clothes on – and nice clothes at that!)

Show rates in excess of 85%!Over 8,000 hearings scheduled since March!

Page 27: Monthly Hearing Branch/Rep Huddle: 21 01 2021

• Google Chrome is the preferred browser for the VA Video Connect.• Secure and reliable high-speed internet is required. • For Windows or Android devices, no application download is

required. The hearing will launch automatically in your web browser after you click the link.

• If you are using an Apple device, such as an iPhone (6 or later) or iPad, you will need to download the free VA Video Connect app from the App Store: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/va-video-connect/id1224250949?mt=8

• As soon as a Veteran is scheduled in Caseflow, the Vet, Rep, and VLJ will receive an email (if there’s a valid email in the system).

Virtual Tele-Hearing General Guidelines

Page 28: Monthly Hearing Branch/Rep Huddle: 21 01 2021

5-15 Minutes prior to the hearing, simply click the link

Add your Name Ensure your Camera & mic are on

…and the Judge will run the show!

Virtual Tele-Hearing Conduct(page 1 of 2)

Page 29: Monthly Hearing Branch/Rep Huddle: 21 01 2021

Judge

Veteran

Representative/Witness

Chat Room

Attendees

Present/Share

Virtual Tele-Hearing Conduct(page 2 of 2)

• Judge “locks the room” and starts and stops the recording• Virtual “room” can support over 15 participants• Hearings typically last 30-45 minutes

Page 30: Monthly Hearing Branch/Rep Huddle: 21 01 2021

Tips for a Successful Virtual Tele-Hearing

• Test your equipment ahead of time (Vet & Rep)• If you have issues, call the Help Desk to troubleshoot• Ensure the Veteran’s email is valid and up-to-date• “Attend” your hearing under the same conditions you tested in, and with

the same equipment.• Use a reliable WIFI signal or VERY strong cell signals (“four bars”)• Don’t join too early: 10 minutes before the hearing time is the sweet spot• Family members supporting Veterans who might be ‘tech averse’ or ‘tech

hostile’• The Chrome browser has traditionally been the most stable & reliable• Patience and flexibility matter!

Page 31: Monthly Hearing Branch/Rep Huddle: 21 01 2021

• Provide fidelity as far out as possible, strike for a minimum of 90 days out.• NO PROMISES! This is an analog process (for now). Good crosstalk and visibility/contact

with our coordinators will ensure we don’t mess this up!• Please remain flexible – especially in this FY!.

VSO Blackout Trackers

Page 32: Monthly Hearing Branch/Rep Huddle: 21 01 2021

1. 10-day lock in: All Vets who haven’t confirmed appts at closed ROs will be PP NLT

10 days out.

2. Vet contact information. You can assist us with our Veteran communications by

influencing your clients to maintain an updated phone number, address, and email

in eBenefits or on VA.gov. There is a HUGE percentage of Veterans with expired

phone numbers and no email of record; the latter is required for VTHs!

3. Satellite sites. If RO’s do open, there’s a chance that their traditionally affiliated

alternate hearing sites (satellites) won’t be open. Virtual hearings are ALWAYS an

option.

4. Rep roll-ups of all hearing scheduled for a time frame. Contact your Team

Lead or RO Coordinator for a list if you are in the dark.

5. Geo-Matching. There will be no cross-state boundary hearings scheduled. If you

and your client don’t want to make the drive to an in-state RO or approved (and

open) satellite site, please ask about VTHs.

6. Cross-talk Wins Wars. Keep up those open lines of communications! Your

Hearing Coordinators really care.

7. This stuff is hard. Be patient with us and flexible as we work through this

complex time.

MISC

Page 33: Monthly Hearing Branch/Rep Huddle: 21 01 2021

Things We are Working On

• Fixing the VTH email link letter to provide better information and an outlet/feedback mechanism

• Creating a National Virtual Hearing Queue where we can build pure, multi-time zone, Virtual dockets independent of ROs/States

• “Splicing” dockets to optimize Judge time (e.g., morning docket on the East Coast, afternoon docket on the West Coast)

• Caller ID to reflect “VETERAN APPEALS BOARD” when we call you and Vets (maybe someone will pick up;)

• Transcript process overhaul (real-time transcribing, shorter flash-to-bang uploading, etc.)

• Caseflow upgrades

Page 34: Monthly Hearing Branch/Rep Huddle: 21 01 2021

• VSO Liaison: Marty• OAR Comments: Monica• Fellow HMB Teammates• Open Mic Night

Discussion/Comments/Questions

Page 35: Monthly Hearing Branch/Rep Huddle: 21 01 2021

Next Meeting: 18 FEB 21(Bring a Friend!)

Thanks for what you do for our Vets!