The VA said disability claims are being processed at a rate of one million per year now. Image: Chris Allan/Shutterstock.com
The backlog of unadjudicated veterans’ benefits claims is now below 200,000 – the lowest since March 2023, the agency stated. The drop – to 198,378 from 264,717 – represents a 25-percent reduction.
The Department of Veterans Affairs stated that disability claims are being processed at a rate of one million per year now.
In April, 256,178 claims were processed. On May 20, the department processed more than 15,000 claims. Both figures represent high points in the adjudication process.
“Veterans and VA beneficiaries deserve timely and accurate claims decisions, and that is exactly what we will deliver,” VA Secretary Doug Collins said.
An recent inspector general report faulted the VA’s oversight of outside facilities where examinations are performed on veterans who have filed disability claims, saying that of 135 such facilities auditors visited, 114 had deficiencies under the Americans with Disabilities Act or the Occupational Safety and Health Act.
Those included accessibility issues with parking, ramps, entrances, bathrooms, exam rooms and medical equipment; building safety issues including blocked stairways, noncompliant handrails, expired or inaccessible fire extinguishers, and blocked exit routes; and cleanliness issues including cluttered and dirty hallways, grime and cobwebs in sinks and a fire alarm “full of dead insects.”
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