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Research release archive

When we publish original research, subscribers who opted into research updates receive a short release note by email. This page keeps every one of those notes public, so you can see exactly what lands in your inbox before you subscribe: the report, the key finding, and the sources. No teasers, no paywall.

Original researchSeptember 5, 2026

Inside VA's Contract Exam Program: Volume, Timeliness, Training and Oversight

Reported monthly contract exam requests averaged 47.6 percent higher in the latest 12 months than in the first 12 months of the released record, completion-time averages differ by vendor, Loyal Source's share of requests rose from 2.2 to 18.9 percent between those windows, and VBA states that no-show, rescheduling, and insufficient-exam measures are not captured by vendor, a gap we are pursuing through an appeal and follow-up requests.

Sources: VBA FOIA cases 26-23677-F and 26-23670-F (MDEO records)

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Original researchAugust 24, 2026

PACT Act Grant Shares by Station of Jurisdiction: A 24.4-Percentage-Point Range

Across 3,587,792 completed PACT-flagged rating claims, cumulative grant shares span 24.4 percentage points among the 57 RO-labeled station codes (63.3 percent in Seattle to 87.8 percent in San Juan). San Juan's share exceeded Seattle's in all 44 reported monthly periods, a timing-standardization check moved no station more than 0.53 percentage points, and the national grant share declined across successive calendar-year periods. The records establish a persistent association with the credited station, not a cause.

Sources: VBA FOIA case 26-25137-F (PA&I Metrics and Data Reporting Team), compared against VA's public PACT Act Dashboard and FOIA case 26-23669-F on matched periods

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Original researchAugust 21, 2026

The Quiet Doubling: DIC Denials Since FY2023

DIC denials rose from 12,952 in FY 2024 to 23,212 in FY 2025, a 79.2 percent one-year increase, while the denial share of decided claims climbed from 23.1 to 32.4 percent; the 1318 pathway accounts for a steady quarter of categorized grants, a split VA publishes nowhere.

Sources: VBA FOIA case 26-23676-F (Pension and Fiduciary Service search of VA's compensation database)

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Original researchAugust 12, 2026

Rating Decision Quality: VA's Accuracy Reviews, Office by Office

National issue-based rating accuracy fell from 95.3 percent in FY 2023 to 91.6 percent in FY 2024 and recovered to 94.0 percent in the latest 12 months, still below VA's 96 percent target, with duty-to-assist and effective-date errors making up about half of all errors found.

Sources: VBA FOIA case 26-23671-F, validated exactly against VA's public Detailed Claims Data page

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Original researchJuly 20, 2026

PACT Act Claims by Month: Received, Completed, Granted, Denied

The PACT Act grant rate fell 8.4 points, from 78.6 percent in the law's first 12 months to 70.2 percent in the most recent 12 months, a period measure distinct from VA's cumulative approval rate, and cumulative denials crossed one million in July 2026.

Sources: VBA FOIA case 26-23669-F, cross-validated against VA's public PACT Act Dashboard

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