USA TODAY SPECIAL EDITION
15
NEWS CLAIMS PENDING BY REGION
Tackling the Backlog
TOTAL: 362,722
Northeast 87,765 Pacific* 70,295
Continental 68,806
VA announces new ways to file, amend claims
I
Southeast** 131,862
N A BID TO tackle its disability claims backlog, the Department of Veterans
Outside U.S. 3,994
Affairs in February implemented a new appeals process, giving veterans more options for contesting their claims. Under the Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act, the “supplemental claim lane” allows veterans to introduce new evidence in their case and allows a regional specialist to review it and make a decision. The “higher-level review lane” allows for the claim to be looked at by a senior adjudicator rather than the regional office. In these cases, adjudicators will be looking for errors made in interpreting VA policies or laws governing the claim. Lastly, as is the case in the current system, they can appeal the decision to the Board of Veterans’ Appeals.
STATES WITH THE MOST PENDING CLAIMS 38,930
Texas 34,213
California 28,285
Florida 18,308
Georgia
PENDING CLAIMS IN 2015, 2017 & 2019*
16,883
253,522
North Carolina
188,643
■ 2015 pending claims ■ 2015 claims over 125 days ■ 2017 pending claims ■ 2017 claims over 125 days ■ 2019 pending claims ■ 2019 claims over 125 days
Ohio
Pennsylvania 9,934 Tennessee
9,885
19.7%
24.5% 22.4%
71,017
74,331
72,623
90,318
127,916 33.2%
22.3%
9,298 (AS OF OCT. 5, 2019)
77,558
25.9%
80,501
97,382
40.9%
84,648
10,843
% of claims over 125 days
48.8%
95,837
13,694
Virginia
New York
24.6%
WHO FILES THE CLAIMS TOTAL INVENTORY
Korean War*
19.6%
Peacetime (the end of the Vietnam War to the Gulf War)
22.5%
25.6%
3.6% Vietnam War
28%
JANUARY
2019
2017
APRIL
SOURCE: Department of Veterans Affairs
2019
2015
2017
2019
JULY
2015
330,820
368,771
345,877
368,858
385,337
360,992
375,646
461,677 2015
2017
362,722
2017
330,035
389,824
519,530
11%
2015
(AS OF OCT. 5, 2019)
*Includes Philippines; **Includes Puerto Rico
Gulf War (1990s conflict)
2019
31%
OCTOBER
*Date reflects beginning of each quarter
World War II*
2%
Post-9/11 (Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts)
24%
Other era claims*
0.5% *Percentages are rounded up
$ Find out how to get your claim processed faster at: ubenefits.va.gov/ FDC Applying for Veterans Affairs benefits for the first time? Visit: uebenefits.va.gov GRAPHICS: LISA M. ZILKA