July 2019 veterans disability benefits statistics report

July 2019 Veterans Disability Benefits Statistics Report Numbers

The July 2019 veterans disability benefits statistics report from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs just came out. Below, we’ll explain how VA disability pension and compensation claims changed in the last 30 days.



July 2019 Veterans Disability Benefits Statistics: Claims Inventory Status

The July 2019 veterans disability benefits statistics report shows all unrated pension and compensation claims pending the VA’s determination decision. On July 6, the VA’s claims inventory held 345,877 unrated applications. While some may say that number’s too high, it helps to see things in the proper perspective. This time last year, the claims inventory held 349, 319 claims. And back in July 2017, that number swelled to 368,858! That means this month’s inventory is at least 6% smaller than it was just two years ago.

  • As of July 6, 2019: 345,877
  • As of June 8, 2019: 351,447
  • Difference: -5,570
  • Daily churn: -278.5 claims

Luckily, first-time claimants in the July report are just 40% of the inventory. That means 3 in every 5 unrated claims are for supplementary benefits! In addition, spouses, parents, children and pension claimants make up 16% of first-time benefit applications.

July 2019 Veterans Disability Benefits Statistics: Claims Backlog Status

The claims backlog holds all VA benefit applications that still haven’t received a disability rating after 125 days. Unfortunately, the July 2019 veterans disability benefits report shows backlogged claims rose again this month:

  • As of July 6, 2019: 77,558
  • As of June 8, 2019: 75,988
  • Difference: +1,570
  • Daily churn: +78.5 claims added to the backlog

Let’s put the July 2019 veterans disability benefits statistics report’s numbers in context. This month’s backlog numbers are almost identical to those from April 2018, for example. Compared to July 2017, this month’s backlog is down more than 14%. Today, about 1 in 4 VA claims are backlogged. That’s the same amount as in July 2017’s report.

A VA-accredited lawyer may help you get approved faster and for the maximum benefit amount right away. Most disabled vets (60%) file appeals or supplementary claims. That adds at least four more months to your claim processing time! You shouldn’t have to wait that long for the VA to correct their own mistakes.

Plus, you can get an experienced VA lawyer who works on contingency. That means you won’t pay anything for professional help unless your case wins. And if you do win, then you’ll only pay a small, one-time fee. In fact, some veterans never pay any legal fees. There’s a law called the Equal Access to Justice Act (EAJA) that may help you. Ask the lawyer if the EAJA applies to your case. If it does, then you might end up paying nothing after your case wins! This is especially true if you’re appealing a VA claim. Why? Because 9 in 10 vets with lawyers prevail against the VA in court.

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.