The April 2020 veterans disability benefits statistics report numbers from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs are now available. Below, we’ll explain how VA disability compensation and pension claim numbers changed during the past 30 days.
April 2020 Veterans Disability Benefits Statistics: Claims Inventory Status
All compensation and pension claims pending the VA’s determination decision appear in the April 2020 veterans disability benefits statistics report. On April 4, the VA claims inventory held 405,730 pending applications. Unlike the last few months, April’s claim inventory numbers fell significantly in this 30-day period:
- As of April 4, 2020: 405,730
- As of March 7, 2020: 426,081
- Difference: -20,351
- Daily churn: -1,018 claims
Wow, what a stunning drop in VA claims since last month! We can only assume this is a direct result of the global coronavirus pandemic. First-time filers with service-connected disabilities make up about 28% of April’s claims inventory. However, nearly 42% of claims are for additional or worsening conditions. Surviving spouses, children or parents applying for the first time make up 2.6% of claims, while 1.5% are for pensions.
April 2020 Veterans Disability Benefits Statistics: Claims Backlog Status
Any claims still pending the VA’s determination decision after 125 days automatically move into the backlog category. The April 2020 veterans disability benefits statistics report shows only a slight increase in backlogged claims compared to March:
- As of April 4, 2020: 74,625
- As of March 7, 2020: 73,284
- Difference: +1,341
- Daily churn: +67 claims added to the backlog
As the coronavirus pandemic continues to spread, we expect these numbers to rise significantly for May. About one-third of backlogged claims this month list at least 8 service-connected disabilities, which can take awhile to process. About 1 in every 4 backlogged applications list no more than 7 unrated, service-connected disabilities. Unfortunately, secondary applications for worsening or additional conditions account for most backlogged claims in the April 2020 veterans disability report. This month’s update lists 27,289 claims filed before the end of 2019 are still pending the VA’s ratings decision.
You May Qualify for Free Legal Assistance
VA hospitals, clinics and offices are currently busy fighting Covid-19 outbreaks across the country. If you’re planning to apply for benefits, you may qualify for legal assistance from a VA-accredited lawyer. It’s easy for us to match you with the closest available attorney using your ZIP code.
All VA-accredited attorneys in our network give free, no-obligation legal consultations to veterans. That means you’ll pay $0 for private legal advice that applies to your specific situation. And if a lawyer does help your case win, then you’ll only pay a small, one-time fee.
Ready to see if you may qualify? Click the button below to start your free benefits evaluation now!
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Lori Polemenakos is Director of Consumer Content and SEO strategist for LeadingResponse, a legal marketing company. An award-winning journalist, writer and editor based in Dallas, Texas, she's produced articles for major brands such as Match.com, Yahoo!, MSN, AOL, Xfinity, Mail.com, and edited several published books. Since 2016, she's published hundreds of articles about Social Security disability, workers' compensation, veterans' benefits, personal injury, mass tort, auto accident claims, bankruptcy, employment law and other related legal issues.