VA Claims Backlog Continues to Grow


Officials from the Department of Veterans Affairs recently announced that the backlog of VA claims has increased by thousands of cases due to the shutdown of operations caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

According to an article published by The American Legion, “There were 119,000 backlogged claims as of Wednesday, up from 64,000 in November. The VA considers backlogged claims for benefits to be those that take longer than 125 days to approve or deny.” The article continued by saying, “The coronavirus pandemic coincided with the start of the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act, which prompted a surge of new claims…The new law made thousands of Vietnam War veterans newly eligible for VA benefits beginning in January.”

In addition, the VA stopped conducting in-person exams in order to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Without these exams, the claims backlog has increased as veterans are still waiting for decisions that rely on the results of said exams.

Relevant Pages: Veterans Disability