The January 2020 veterans disability benefits statistics report numbers are out today from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. See how VA disability compensation and pension application numbers changed during the past 30 days below.
January 2020 Veterans Disability Benefits Statistics: Claims Inventory Status
The January 2020 veterans disability benefits statistics report shows all unrated VA disability compensation and pension claims currently pending. On January 4, the VA’s claims inventory held 409,638 total unrated applications. That’s a huge jump in claims for the New Year (and decade), with over 1,000 new applications added each day:
- As of January 4, 2020: 409,638
- As of December 7, 2019: 386,743
- Difference: +22,895
- Daily churn: +1,090 claims
Honestly, we’re surprised to see this surge in the January 2020 veterans disability benefits report’s claims inventory numbers. The last time we saw this category rise above the 400,000 mark was back in May 2015. But let’s look a little deeper at these numbers: Of those, just 130,108 are from first-time claimants (i.e., 32%). Drill down further, and just 114,225 (or 28%) are initial VA disability compensation claims.
January 2020 Veterans Disability Benefits Statistics: Claims Backlog Status
Once a claim’s waited longer than 125 days for the VA’s ratings decision, it automatically moves into the backlog. Unfortunately, the January 2020 veterans disability benefits statistics report shows a measurable increase in backlogged claims since December:
- As of January 4, 2020: 70,875
- As of December 7, 2019: 66,594
- Difference: +4,281
- Daily churn: +204 claims added to the backlog
But again, looking at these numbers in context helps clarify who’s most affected by this month’s larger backlog. First-time VA disability compensation claims make up 42% of this month’s backlog. In other words, less than half come from veterans currently not receiving any monthly payments from the VA. Everyone else with currently pending backlogged claims already receives some monthly VA benefits.
You May Qualify for Free Legal Assistance
A VA-accredited lawyer can potentially help get your VA claim approved faster for the most benefits you’re owed. This month’s report shows 1,769 veterans have claims under review for COLA adjustments, for example. Why is that? Each year’s cost-of-living-adjustment (COLA) increase is an automatic raise from the federal government. Once approved in October 2019, it guaranteed all disabled veterans a 1.6% raise. Why are nearly 2,000 vets waiting for claim reviews over this particular issue? With a lawyer by your side, the VA won’t make you wait for raises you already earned and deserve.
Every attorney in our network offers free, no-obligation consultations for veterans. Last year, 4 in every 5 veterans with legal representation prevailed against the VA in court. Since our attorneys work on contingency, you’ll pay $0 in legal fees if you don’t win. And if you do 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.