February 2023 Veterans Disability Benefits Statistics Report Analysis

February 2023 Veterans Disability Benefits Statistics Report Analysis

Let’s take a look at our February 2023 veterans disability benefits statistics report analysis. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) issues a monthly report on how many benefit applications they need to process. This report shows all compensation, pension, and survivor’s claims either waiting on VA ratings or payment awards. Learn how the VA’s newest claim numbers for February may impact veterans and families waiting for benefits.



February 2023 Veterans Disability Benefits Statistics: Claims Inventory Status

The February 2023 veterans disability benefits report lists all claims the VA received during the past 30 days. We noted more than 742,000 claims as of February 4, 2023:

  • As of February 4, 2023: 742,149
  • As of January 7, 2023: 709,131
  • Difference: +33,018
  • Daily churn: +1,651 claims

Just like we noted in January’s report, VA disability claims are way up again for February. At this pace, the VA’s inventory will soon surpass their previous record of 883,930 pending claims from July 2012. According to the VBA’s Annual Benefits Report, almost 5.9 million vets and their families currently receive VA compensation payments.

So, what do these latest report numbers mean for vets filing claims this month? Here’s what to expect:

  • 122-132 days, on average, for the VA to process your claim.
  • 6 months to process VA claims in Iowa, the slowest state.
  • Washington, D.C. (119 days) and Puerto Rico (117 days) now process claims faster than anywhere else in the U.S.
  • Alaska has the most backlogged claims of any state (32%).
  • $20,686 in annual VA disability benefits is how much each veteran received in 2022, on average.
  • $1,724 per month is the current average VA disability payment across the U.S.
  • Tinnitus is the injury most often awarded VA benefits (197,935 claims awarded payments during FY 2022).

February 2023 Veterans Disability Benefits Statistics: Claims Backlog Status

All claims more than 125 days old count as part of the VA’s backlog. According to the February 2023 veterans disability benefits report, backlogged claims are down compared to last month:

  • As of February 4, 2023: 197,353
  • As of January 7, 2023: 200,456
  • Difference: -3,103
  • Daily churn: -155 claims cleared from the backlog

Supplemental claims for new or worse health problems make up more than 64% of this month’s backlog. Per the VBA’s latest report, every veteran who gets VA disability has about 6 health problems from military service.

Here are the vets in the February 2023 veterans disability benefits report’s backlog by service era:

  • 36% are Gulf War-era vets (August 1990 to September 10, 2001).
  • 29% are Vietnam War veterans.
  • 23% are post-9/11 veterans who served in either Iraq or Afghanistan.
  • 9% are peace time veterans who served from the end of Vietnam until the start of the first Gulf War.
  • 3% served in WWII or Korea.

Get Expert VA Claim Help for Free

The VA says it makes mistakes when reviewing claims from 1 in 8 veterans (12%) each year. This means they could wrongly deny you the benefits you earned or pay you less than your injuries are worth. Why not have a VA-accredited attorney near you review your claim paperwork for free?

We can connect you with a local veterans disability lawyer who can answer your claim questions free of charge. This service costs you nothing, but it could help you get more money from the VA each month. If an attorney helps you, then they charge nothing unless the VA approves your claim. And if you do win a cash award, then you’ll only pay one small fee.

Ready to get the help you need without paying anything out of your own pocket? Click the button below to sign up for a free phone call during regular weekday business hours:

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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.