What this means
m21-5:3.A.1 explains purpose of the QRT. In plain terms, the official guidance says the decision review operations center (DROC) Quality Review Team (QRT) Program establishes a team of dedicated Quality Review Specialists (QRSs) with a focused emphasis on quality in the DROCs and alignment with the policy and procedures issued by the Office of Administrative Review (OAR). It also addresses the purpose of the QRT is to improve the quality and timeliness of disagreement claims processing and decrease the amount of work performed on individual cases.
How this may help with a claim
Use m21-5:3.A.1 to audit how VA handled purpose of the QRT. Start with the decision date, the issue being reviewed, and the evidence VA was allowed to consider, then compare the record with this rule: The decision review operations center (DROC) Quality Review Team (QRT) Program establishes a team of dedicated Quality Review Specialists (QRSs) with a focused emphasis on quality in the DROCs and alignment with the policy and procedures issued by the Office of Administrative Review (OAR). The purpose of the QRT is to improve the quality and timeliness of disagreement claims processing and decrease the amount of work performed on individual cases. Cite the exact document and page when raising a factual or procedural error, and use the review rights in the actual notice for any deadline.
What to review in your file
- Check the file against this official condition: Each local QRT is comprised of at least one Authorization QRS (AQRS) and one Rating QRS (RQRS).
- Confirm that the record or notice addresses this source point: Employees selected for the QRS position must meet their specific performance standards for quality. Once selected for the QRS position, employees must participate in all proficiency assessments administered by OAR.
- Document how this stated step or exception applies: The decision review operations center (DROC) Quality Review Team (QRT) Program establishes a team of dedicated Quality Review Specialists (QRSs) with a focused emphasis on quality in the DROCs and alignment with the policy and procedures issued by the Office of Administrative Review (OAR).
Important limits
m21-5:3.A.1 explains VA guidance for purpose of the QRT; it does not guarantee an award or replace the statutes, regulations, binding decisions, and review instructions that control an individual claim. Conditions and exceptions still matter, including this source point: The decision review operations center (DROC) Quality Review Team (QRT) Program establishes a team of dedicated Quality Review Specialists (QRSs) with a focused emphasis on quality in the DROCs and alignment with the policy and procedures issued by the Office of Administrative Review (OAR). Each local QRT is comprised of at least one Authorization QRS (AQRS) and one Rating QRS (RQRS).
Search terms when useful
Phrases that may help when searching your claim file or this library.
- Purpose of the QRT
- m21-5:3.A.1
- Purpose QRT
- Quality Review Team
- purpose
- composition.
- 3.A.1.a. Purpose
- decision review operations center
Original VA guidance
The official VA text of this section
1. Overview of the Quality Review Team (QRT)
Introduction
This topic contains an overview of the QRT, including the
- purpose of the QRT, and
- QRT composition.
Change Date
October 1, 2020
3.A.1.a. Purpose of the QRT
The decision review operations center (DROC) Quality Review Team (QRT) Program establishes a team of dedicated Quality Review Specialists (QRSs) with a focused emphasis on quality in the DROCs and alignment with the policy and procedures issued by the Office of Administrative Review (OAR).
The purpose of the QRT is to improve the quality and timeliness of disagreement claims processing and decrease the amount of work performed on individual cases. This is accomplished by evaluating quality, reviewing error trends, providing training and mentoring on identified error trends, and performing monthly individual quality reviews..
3.A.1.b. QRT Composition
Each local QRT is comprised of at least one Authorization QRS (AQRS) and one Rating QRS (RQRS). It is recommended that a ratio of 1:10 be used to determine the number of RQRS employees to the number of Rating Veterans Service Representatives (RVSR) and Decision Review Officers (DRO) and 1:14 be used to determine the number of AQRS employees to the number of Veterans Service Representatives (VSR) and Claims Assistants (CA) required to support the DROC.
Employees selected for the QRS position must meet their specific performance standards for quality. Once selected for the QRS position, employees must participate in all proficiency assessments administered by OAR.