On December 21, 2012, United States Government Accountability Office (GOA) issued a new report on the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) backlog, entitled “Timely Processing Remains a Daunting Challenge.” The GAO report can be accessed at GAO Report 13-89.
The GAO report documents the various initiatives on the part of the VA to reduce the time for initial adjudication of a claim for disability compensation, as well as the efforts to reduce the backlog of claims on appeal. The report, however, notes “we reviewed VBA’s backlog reduction plan, we found that it fell short of established criteria for sound planning.” The GAO report also notes that there will be approximately one million new veterans by 2015.
If you received an unfavorable Rating Decision from the VA or are confused about the status of your VA disability compensation or pension claim, please do not hesitate to contact me for a free consultation at sdirector@FRE-L.com or (732) 382-6070.