Veterans' Disability Benefits: Timely Processing Remains a Daunting Challenge
Abstract
A number of factors both external and internal to the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) have contributed to the increase in processing timeframes and subsequent growth in the backlog of veterans disability compensation claims. As the population of new veterans has swelled in recent years, the annual number of claims received by VBA has gone up. Compared to the past, these claims have a higher number of disabling conditions, and some of these conditions, such as traumatic brain injuries, make their assessment complex. Moreover, due to new regulations that have established eligibility for benefits for new diseases associated with Agent Orange exposure, VBA adjudicated 260,000 previously denied and new claims. Beyond these external factors, issues with the design and implementation of the compensation program have contributed to timeliness challenges.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 2012
- Accession Number
- AD1179911
Entities
People
- Almeta Spencer
- Brett Fallavollita
- Daniel Bertoni
- James M Bennett
- James Rebbe
- Kathleen Van Gelder
- Lucas Alvarez
- Michelle Bracy
- Robert Campbell
- Ryan Siegel
- Susan Chin
- Walter Vance
Organizations
- United States Government Accountability Office