Department of Veterans Affairs Long-Standing Claims Processing Challenges Persist

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) sought to assess the timeliness of VA disability claims and appeals processing. In 2006, disability claims processing by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) took an average of 127 days. In 2003 the average processing time was 111 days. Appeals resolution processing took an average of 657 days. In fiscal year 2004, appeals processing took an average of 529 days. The VA said that claims have increased in part because older veterans are filing first time claims. The VA also said that claims have become more complex and that it has seen increased disability claims for traumatic brain injury and for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), both of which are more difficult to substantiate.

The GAO investigation found that the delays in claims and appeals processing is due to the need to gather supporting information. For example, to develop a PTSD claim, the VA must request records from the U.S. Army and Joint Services Records Research Center (JSRRC), which has an average response time of about a year. In December 2006, GAO recommended that the VA assess if it could use an electronic library of military records, rather than submitting research requests to JSRRC.