VA Backlog of Claims Grows to 119,000 as Work Stopped for Coronavirus

The backlog of Dept. of Veterans Affairs claims has grown by tens of thousands of cases since the department halted work because of the coronavirus pandemic, top VA officials said recently.

There were 119,000 backlogged claims as of Wednesday, June 17 up from 64,000 in November. The VA considers backlogged claims for benefits to be those that take longer than 125 days to approve or deny. 

“We are not happy about the backlog,” said Paul Lawrence, the VA undersecretary for benefits. “Our team is very proud of processing claims quickly, so we want to get to that right away.”

Lawrence testified before the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee recently alongside VA Secretary Robert Wilkie. Questions from senators focused on the department’s response to the pandemic, as well as its fiscal 2021 budget request. Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark., asked about the claims backlog, which he said had “grown significantly” since the start of the pandemic.

The VA stopped performing the in-person Compensation and Pension exams, referred to as C&P exams, April 2 to encourage veterans to stay home to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. C&P exams are appointments with doctors, during which disabilities are evaluated. The results of the exams help the VA rate veterans’ disabilities, which determine the compensation they receive each month, as well as their eligibility for VA programs. Bottom line – do not voluntarily miss scheduled exams!

Without the exams, the claims backlog has grown and thousands of veterans are waiting for decisions. The coronavirus pandemic coincided with the start of the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act, which prompted a surge of new claims, Lawrence said. The new law made thousands of Vietnam War veterans newly eligible for VA benefits beginning in January.

The VA has restarted in-person C&P exams June 8. To help handle the delay, Lawrence asked for Congress to approve legislation that would allow non-physicians, such as nurse practitioners, to conduct the exams. 

“We ask you to consider that,” Lawrence said. “It’s one way to expand our capacity to work on the C&P backlog.”

Lawrence also asked that some of the money Congress gave the VA for its coronavirus response efforts be moved to the Veterans Benefits Administration to help pay employees for overtime. In the $2 trillion CARES Act approved March 27, Congress allotted $19.6 billion for the VA. The department had spent only $2.3 billion of the money as of last week, and other VA officials asked Congress for the authority to transfer it between accounts.

By Nikki Wentling

reprinted from Stars and Stripes

  Nikki Wentling