Navigation VA working on Claims Backlog
Anyone who deals with the VA on a daily basis knows that the VA’s backlog of cases is a problem.
The Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA – the arm of the VA that adjudicates disability compensation claims) has processed more than 1 million filings this year and says that it is on track to complete 2.5 million total by year’s end, which is roughly a half-million more than it processed in 2024, according to officials. In late February, the VBA announced it had reached the 1 million claims mark two weeks earlier than in 2024 despite receiving a 16% increase in applications last year and are even claiming that claims processors are running “8.5% ahead of this time last year.” They say it is because the dept has improved training for adjudicators and is implementing new programs that facilitate the process. So what are the actual numbers?
As of April 4, the VBA had 923,355 pending claims, with roughly one-quarter of those considered “backlogged,” or older than 125 days old. The VA says that is has reduced the number of 125-day-old or older claims by nearly 20,000, according to VA data. However, this concerns me as well as many VA disability representatives. We see a lot of “duty to assist” decisions or DTA decisions for short. Basically, those decisions are a waste of paper, but it does make the VA look better. A DTA decision is not really a decision – it is simply a notification that the VA failed to address an important issue in the claim, such as failing to get records or a medical exam and opinion.
