The February 2020 veterans disability benefits statistics report numbers are now available from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. See how VA disability compensation and pension claim numbers changed over the past 30 days below.
February 2020 Veterans Disability Benefits Statistics: Claims Inventory Status
The February 2020 veterans disability benefits statistics report shows compensation and pension claims waiting on the VA’s ratings decision. On February 1, the VA’s claims inventory held 413,032 pending applications. For a second month in a row, VA disability and pension claims went up:
- As of February 1, 2020: 413,032
- As of January 4, 2020: 409,638
- Difference: +3,394
- Daily churn: +170 claims
The February 2020 veterans disability benefits statistics report’s backlog increase isn’t nearly as dramatic as last month’s. Now, let’s drill down: About 28% of first-time claims are for VA disability compensation. Most unrated claims in the February 2020 veterans disability benefits statistics report are supplementary (64%). That means they’re from vets trying to claim additional benefits for new conditions, or asking for a higher VA rating. Widowed spouses and children filed just over 10,000 survivors’ benefits claims this month, or 2.6%. Veterans applying for benefits account for less than 2% o first-time VA claims filed this month.
February 2020 Veterans Disability Benefits Statistics: Claims Backlog Status
All unrated claims more than 125 days old automatically transfer into the VA’s backlog category. Thankfully, the February 2020 veterans disability benefits statistics report shows a drop in aging unrated claims since last month:
- As of February 1, 2020: 69,933
- As of January 4, 2020: 70,875
- Difference: -942
- Daily churn: -47 claims cleared from the backlog
This reverses about 25% of January’s total backlog increase. Unfortunately, about 42% of backlogged claims are from vets applying for VA disability compensation for the very first time. This subset of backlogged claims in the February 2020 disability benefits statistics report breaks down in some interesting ways, too. For example: Nearly 2x as many backlogged claims list seven or fewer disabling conditions (18,557, or 26.5%). Compare that to how many claims list eight or more conditions (10,613, or 15% of this month’s backlog). We’re hopeful that these numbers show veterans have fewer overall service-connected disabilities negatively impacting their health.
If you’re a veteran considering applying for VA disability benefits, don’t let these backlog numbers discourage you. Applications fast-tracked through the fully developed claims (FDC) process currently take about 96 days, on average, to process. Claims that don’t qualify for expediting through the VA’s FDC process take about 103 days, on average, to complete. Less than 1 in 4 claims filed in any given month gets backlogged before receiving a VA ratings decision.
You May Qualify for Free Legal Assistance
According to VA data, about 1 in 10 claims filed in the last three months received the wrong disability rating. Worried that could happen to you ― or already did, which means you now receive less money than you deserve? Consult a VA-accredited lawyer in our network today for free! It’s an honor to help veterans get all the compensation they’ve already earned through their service.
Last year, 4 in every 5 veterans with lawyers handling their appeals prevailed against the VA in court. What’s more, all VA-accredited attorneys in our network offer contingency-based representation. That means they’ll charge you $0 in legal fees unless you win. And if you win, then you’ll only pay a small, one-time fee. In fact, you’ll potentially owe your lawyer $0 even for a winning case! The Equal Access to Justice Act (EAJA) protects anyone who successfully sues the government for denying them rightfully owed benefits. Before filing your VA appeal, ask a lawyer whether the EAJA might apply to your own case.
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.