Due to the gigantic backlog of records requests caused by the pandemic, Congress is deliberating on providing an additional $60 million to help address the problem.
According to an article published by Stars and Stripes, “Most service records prior to 2004 are not digitized and could not be accessed remotely while federal workers were ordered to work from home for months during the pandemic. Millions of veteran records only exist on paper. The backlog reached a peak of half a million requests in May 2021, according to William Bosanko, Chief Operating Officer at the National Archives and Records Administration. On Thursday the House Oversight and Reform Committee approved the new funds as part of a $3.5 trillion social spending bill expected to be considered later this fall.”
Relevant pages: Veterans Disability