MDE-NG Draft_SAMPLE MDEO General Handbook.docx

Version: DRAFT Release date:

DRAFT SAMPLE

Medical Disability Examination Office

General Topics Handbook

Table of Contents

Purpose This guide is to provide Contractors who conduct medical disability examinations with a practical framework for performing evaluations that are accurate, consistent, and compliant with applicable standards. It outlines general principles, expectations, and best practices related to clinical assessment, documentation, and professional conduct, helping examiners produce objective, high-quality reports that support fair and timely disability determinations. By promoting clarity, consistency, and adherence to established guidelines, this resource aims to enhance the integrity of the examination process and ensure that all evaluations are conducted with professionalism, impartiality, and respect for Claimants.

Medical Disability Examination Office The Medical Disability Examination Office (MDEO) oversees and manages contract medical disability examinations for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). It is comprised of five main teams: Acquisitions & Budget, Training and Clinical Insight, Examination Compliance & Assessment, Exam Operations & Analytics and Examination Infrastructure & Integration. Each team contributes specialized expertise to ensure effective administration and oversight of the contract.

Staff/Subgroup

Front Office (FO)

Acquisitions & Budget (A&B)

Training and Clinical Insight (T&CI)

• Training (Trng)

• Clinical Insight (CI)

Examination Compliance & Assessment (ECAS)

Exam Operations & Analytics (Ops)

• Examination Experience (EEX)

• Operations & Exam Logistics (OEL)

• Data & Analytics (Analytics)

Examination Infrastructure & Integration (EI&I)

• Systems Sustainment (Sys)

• Integration (Intg)

• DBQ Development, Integration & Guidance (DDIG)

Regions 1-4 Map & Regional Office Jurisdictions

MDE REGIONS 1-4

· Region 1 (Northeast) To include Claimants who reside in the jurisdictions of regional offices within the states of Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

· Region 2 (Southeast) To include Claimants who reside in the jurisdictions of regional offices within the states of Alabama, Arkansas, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.

· Region 3 (Midwest) To include Claimants who reside in the jurisdictions of regional offices within the states of Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

· Region 4 (Pacific) To include Claimants who reside in the jurisdictions of regional offices within the states of Arizona, California, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Alaska, and Hawaii.

Disability claims for regions are, primarily, serviced out of the below VA ROs, although other VA ROs may administer the claim or appeal according to VA’s National Work Queue program.

Ft. Harrison, MT

Cleveland, OH

White River Junction, VT

St. Louis, MO

International Locations The Contractor shall perform examinations (including Compensation and Pension (C&P), BDD, and IDES within:

American Samoa* Australia Austria Bahrain Belgium Belize Canada Columbia Costa Rica Denmark Dominican Republic Ecuador France Germany Greece Guam* Honduras The Inuit Islands

Ireland Italy Jamaica Japan Kuwait Luxembourg Marshall Islands Mexico Micronesia New Zealand Netherlands Northern Mariana Islands* Oman Palau Panama Philippines

Poland Puerto Rico* Qatar Saudi Arabia South Korea Spain Singapore Thailand Turkey United Arab Emirates United Kingdom Uruguay US Virgin Islands*

* US Territories These locations are subject to change as required by VA. Additional countries may be added when data shows sufficient volume of Exam Scheduling Requests (ESRs) to warrant presence in the location.

Applicable Documents Contractors shall follow the documents listed below when performing work under this PWS. This list may be updated periodically, and documents may be revised; Contractors are required to comply with the most current versions.

1) VA Health Care Fact Sheet 16-2 (June 2010), Beneficiary Travel Benefit. https://www.va.gov/health-care/get-reimbursed-for-travel-pay and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lNUiyQT4gM&list=PL3AQ_JVoBEyzJnt68Eq_mPBdyZfkvq 0Wu;

2) Privacy Act, 5 United States Code (U.S.C.) §552a;

3) VA Directive 6500 (particularly the sections referenced in Section 10 (Security) of this PWS), which is available at: https://www.va.gov/vapubs/Search_action.cfm?FormNo=6500

4) Veterans Health Administration Directive 0710 (and the Implementation Handbook 0710.01), which are available at: https://www.va.gov/vhapublications/ViewPublication.asp?pub_ID=8110 and https://www.va.gov/SECURITYINVESTIGATIONSCENTER/Directives_and_Regulatory_Guidan ce.asp;

5) VA Directive 6300, Records and Information Management (VA Handbook 6300.1 Records Management Procedure, and all applicable VA Records Control Schedules);

6) VA Information and Information System Security/Privacy Requirements for Information Technology (IT) Contracts (available at: http://www.ois.oit.va.gov/docs/Appendix_C.pdf)

7) VA Directive 0730, Section 6 (Physical Security);

8) VA Memorandum: IT Oversight & Compliance Information Physical Security Assessments, October 24, 2007;

9) Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA); 45 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 160, 162, and 164; Health Insurance Reform: Security Standards; Final Rule dated February 20, 2003;

10) An Introductory Resource Guide for Implementing the HIPAA Security Rule, March 2005;

11) Sections 504 and 508 of the Rehabilitation Act (29 U.S.C. § 794d), as amended by the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 P.L. 105-220), August 7, 1998;

12) Title IV - Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, January 16, 2009;

13) Contracts for Data Processing or Maintenance (38 U.S.C. § 5725), February 1, 2010;

14) Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Standards 29 CFR Appendix D 1910.95, Occupational Noise Exposure, January 3, 1984;

15) License Portability Act (Public Law 116-315 – HR7105 Section 2002), January 5, 2021;

16) HR7105 Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act of 2020 (Public Law 116-315, aka the DELIVER Act), January 5, 2021. and

17) Authorization Requirements SOP, VA Office of Information Security, April 24, 2024 Attachments List attachments here.

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