On May 22, 2013, the House of Representatives Committee on Veterans’ Affairs held a hearing entiled, “Expediting Claims or Exploiting Statistics?: An Examination of VA’s Special Initiative to Process Rating Claims Pending Over Two Years.” The hearing can be accessed at http://veterans.house.gov/hearing/expediting-claims-or-exploiting-statistics-an-examination-of-va%E2%80%99s-special-initiative-to.
As I previously wrote about, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) recently issued VBA Letter 20-13-05 which mandated that all VA Regional Offices indentify and issue rating decisions (provisional or final) on all initial claims pending for more than two years. More information about that initiative can be found at Significant VA Letter – Guidance for Special Initiative for Initial Claims Pending Over Two Years
While a laudable initiative, VBA Letter 20-13-05 has led to some confusion and questions from both veterans and organizations that represent veterans. One particular source of confusion was which claims are covered by VBA Letter 20-13-05. The VA press release stated that the initiative would be directed at all claims pending over one year, while the written directive only covered initial claims pending for more than two years. As it currently exists, only claims pending for two years or more are subject to the VA’s special initiative under VBA Letter 20-13-05.
If you have questions regarding your claim for disability compensation before the VA, please do not hesitate to contact me at sdirector@FRE-L.com or via telephone at (732) 382-6070.