Veterans are amongst the most highly respected individuals in our country, and rightly so. These men and women put their lives on the line, sacrificing everything for the betterment of our country. Although these individuals should be treated as the heroes they are, far too often they face significant challenges, particularly when it comes to disability benefits.
A few years ago, the Department of Veterans Affairs promised to slice deep into its 611,000 backlog of cases within just a few years. Although progress has been made, there remains about 70,000 cases that are backlogged. And some members of Congress are concerned that these numbers are inaccurate. Claims that are up for appeal are actually up nearly 200,000 from 2013, but are not reflected in the backlogged cases number. The VA claims that one reason for the significant delay in adjudicating claims is the fact that the number of health issues per claim has increased from 2.8 to 4.6.
Despite the additional medical issues that must be addressed in each claim, the VA has plenty of work to do to keep their promise to veterans. These individuals, who are in need of compensation to cover their medical expenses and find financial stability, have been promised that they will be taken care of for serving their country. They should be able to recover what they are entitled to within a reasonable period of time.
Veterans who are seeking their VA benefits or Social Security Disability benefits will need to take the right approach to gather all the documentation that is needed and properly submit it, which could help speed up the process.
Source: The Morning Call, “VA fails to clear veterans’ claims backlog,” Paul Muschick, Jan 20, 2016