VA Disability Claims Glitch Delays Benefits for More Than 30 Thousand Troops
Over 30 thousand veteran disability claims have languished in the Department of Veterans Affairs processing system, with unprocessed claims dating back to 2018. Approximately 32 thousand letters have been sent to veterans in August notifying them their claims were not processed.
Serious Issues At The Department of Veterans Affairs?
A Military Times article notes that the number of unprocessed claims is only a small portion of the seven million-plus VA disability claims filed since 2018, but those left behind by the system have been waiting for years to get answers.
And while there have been some mentions of back pay for these unprocessed claims, there have been no guarantees.
> Frustrated with your VA disability rating? Register for a free consultation for help with increasing your rating to get the compensation you deserve. Please go here.
Notification of VA Claim Delay
The VA has sent letters to all affected veterans noting that the issue was caused by a “technical glitch” that resulted in a “failure to establish a claim.”
The Department of Veterans Affairs claims a full review of the issue is underway and that affected veterans don’t need to take action but should monitor their mail for further communication from the VA about the unprocessed claims.
Military Times reports the VA has “implemented a solution in February that has prevented any additional veterans from being affected.”
Related Problems at the Department of Veterans Affairs
The Department of Veterans Affairs has infamously struggled to manage a backlog of disability claims; in April 2023, the VA stopped the rollout of a new system to manage electronic healthcare records.
The troubled platform developed by a company called Oracle Cerner had a range of issues and glitches, which caused lawmakers to demand more accountability over that project.
VA.gov issued a statement back in 2021 noting, “VA’s claims process has undergone a tremendous positive evolution over the past eight years,” noting that the VA has gone paperless, with an emphasis on digital versions of the old paperwork.
“This evolution,” VA.gov states, “…resulted in a claims backlog of over 600,000 claims in 2012 falling below 100,000 by 2017.”
However, according to the same website on a different page, the number of backlogged claims in June of 2023 was above 274 thousand. These are backlogged “disability compensation and pension claims that have been received by VA” which require “development and a decision by a VA claims processor.” The VA defines backlog as the “number of claims pending over 125 days.”
What’s Next?
Military Times reports the VA has long struggled with infrastructure modernization, but current infighting over funding for both the VA and the Defense Department clouds the future of such efforts.
The 32 thousand veterans with unprocessed claims are the latest iteration of the VA’s long fight to eliminate its backlog, but at press time resolution for those 32 thousand vets is still outstanding. If you have questions about an outstanding VA claim, contact the Department of Veterans Affairs immediately at the VA Benefits Hotline:
800-827-1000
Hours: Monday through Friday,
8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. ET
>> Frustrated with your VA disability rating? Register for a free consultation for help with increasing your rating to get the compensation you deserve. Please go here.
Related: Military Benefits Guide
About the author
Editor-in-Chief Joe Wallace is a 13-year veteran of the United States Air Force and a former reporter/editor for Air Force Television News and the Pentagon Channel. His freelance work includes contract work for Motorola, VALoans.com, and Credit Karma. He is co-founder of Dim Art House in Springfield, Illinois, and spends his non-writing time as an abstract painter, independent publisher, and occasional filmmaker.
