Yes, the administrative burden has been an issue for a very long time. What we were asking for—and have been for a long time—is a reduction of the administrative burden. I do believe that with 25:1 and a streamlining of some processes, particularly the elimination of duplication of documentation and those sorts of things, this would be more manageable at 25:1.
Initially, when I first started and was promised a 25:1, which didn't happen, part of the training was that for two weeks I had a caseload of 22. Then they jumped it up to 48 within two or three weeks. Even during that two-week period, I felt like I was more effective, more engaged and more accessible to the veterans.
In fact, one of the veterans complained to my manager following that rapid increase. They noticed that I wasn't as accessible as before. The direction to me from that was that I had made myself too accessible at the outset, because I was very invested. It wasn't that the caseload number was the problem; it was that I was too accessible at the outset. I do think that at 25:1 I could definitely be more effective in case management.
Thank you.