The first week of every month, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs releases a report to reflect updated claims inventory as well as backlog numbers. We’ll review the December 2016 veterans disability benefits statistics and see how the total number of backlog and inventory claims have changed during the past 30 days.
December 2016 Veterans Disability Benefits Statistics: Claims Inventory Status
This month’s claims inventory report from the Veterans Benefits Administration includes pension as well as compensation applicants still waiting for the VA’s determination decision. As of December 3, 2016, there were 390,639 applications in the claims inventory. Much like the numbers we saw during November, this month’s numbers rose again just a few thousand claims. Fluctuations are to be expected in the claims inventory, and what we’re seeing in the December 2016 veterans disability benefits statistics report is nearly exactly 10,000 claims more than were listed in September (380,688).
- As of December 3, 2016: 390,639
- As of November 5, 2016: 378,468
- Difference: +4,521
- Daily churn: +226.05 claims
December 2016 Veterans Disability Benefits Statistics: Claims Backlog Status
Claims filed by applicants who’ve already waited more than 125 days for a determination decision from the VA automatically fall into the backlog category. As of December 3rd, 92,558 claims were listed as backlogged with the VA. Though the December 2016 veterans disability benefits statistics report shows a large increase in backlogged claims, it’s still smaller than the jump we saw last month in November.
- As of December 3, 2016: 92,558
- As of November 5, 2016: 84,041
- Difference: +8,517
- Daily churn: +425.85 claims deleted from the backlog
If you’re a veteran who just applied for benefits or will in the near future, don’t be overly concerned about the December 2016 report. The backlog has stayed below 100,000 claims overall since September 2015, so rest assured that the VA is making every effort to clear out those pending applications and get you the benefits you need as quickly as possible.
Let An Experienced Attorney Help You
If you haven’t yet filed your benefits application, consider getting help from a VA-accredited attorney near you. A professional disability advocate or lawyer who works on contingency can give you free legal advice. Professional legal representatives can explain what paperwork to submit with your application that best supports your disability claim. Of course, an attorney can request status updates from the VA on your behalf or appeal your claim’s denial.
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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.