AI won’t replace human claims processors, VA officials say, as Democrats worry over staffing levels
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July 14, 2026 10:47 AM ET
Rep. Nikki Budzinski, D-Ill., said some VA employees report claims processing technologies are producing incorrect information.
Artificial intelligence tools the Department of Veterans Affairs is using to speed up disability claims processing will not replace human reviewers, agency officials told lawmakers Monday, but Democrats contend claims processing also need sufficient staffing levels, not just new technology.
“Every disability claim is decided by a trained VA employee, not by AI or automation. These tools support human decision making; they do not replace it,” Robert Orifici, acting deputy chief information officer at VA’s Office of Information and Technology, said during a House Veterans’ Affairs Technology Modernization Subcommittee hearing.
“What we really strive to do is look at those really high volume, highly administrative tasks, focus our resources and [apply] really basic automation on those capabilities, so that we...
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