Veterans' Disability Benefits Challenges to Timely Processing and Improvement Efforts

For years, the Veterans Administration (VA) has struggled with an increasing workload of disability compensation claims. The average time to complete a claim was 188 days in fiscal year 2011, and the VA expects an increase in claims received as 1 million service members leave military service over the next 5 years. As the Government Accountability Office (GAO) and other organisations have previously reported, the VA has faced challenges in reducing the time it takes to decide veterans' claims. This book examines the factors that contribute to lengthy processing times for disability claims and appeals; and the status of the Veteran's Benefits Administration (VBAs) recent efforts to improve disability claims and appeals processing timelines.