VA currently has a backlog of about 850,000 claims

VA Tackling Mountainous Claims Backlog

March 15, 2012
Military.com
by Michael Hoffman
Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki told Congress Thursday his agency is at a “tipping point” toward tackling the mountainous claims backlog that has prevent veterans from receiving benefits.

Technological advances such as transferring health records from filing cabinets to a single electronic database shared within the Defense Department will make it easier to process veterans’ claims, Shinseki said.

The VA will need the help. With troops out of Iraq and the war winding down in Afghanistan, Shinseki expects the number of claims to rise.

The number of claims has increased by 48 percent since 2008. VA officials expect the number of claims to continue to increase from 1.2 million in 2012 to 1.25 million in 2013. The VA currently has a backlog of about 850,000 claims.
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