The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs just released the May 2018 veterans disability benefits statistics report. See any changes to the VA claims inventory and backlog numbers over the last 30 days below.
May 2018 Veterans Disability Benefits Statistics: Claims Inventory Status
The May 2018 veterans disability benefits statistics report lists all claims waiting for ratings from the Veterans Benefits Administration. On May 5, 2018, the VA claims inventory category held 342,717 unrated applications. While May’s claims inventory numbers look much higher than previous months, they’re not actually that bad. Looking at January’s report, the claims inventory only rose 1.1% so far this year. So if numbers rise one month, veterans shouldn’t worry about filing a claim! The numbers could go down again the very next month.
- As of May 5, 2018: 342,717
- As of April 7, 2018: 337,577
- Difference: +5,140
- Daily churn: +257 claims
The VA could struggle without a replacement for Secretary Shulkin to lead the agency. Still, it shouldn’t take too much longer before someone new takes over this crucial role. We’re excited to see what the next VA Secretary proposes to help speed up claims.
May 2018 Veterans Disability Benefits Statistics: Claims Backlog Status
After 125 days, any unrated VA claims transfer into the backlog. May’s report shows the VA cleared over 3,000 backlogged claims since April. In fact, the VA cleared more than 10,000 backlogged claims since March 2018. That’s great news for disabled veterans that need those benefits!
- As of May 5, 2018: 71,531
- As of April 7, 2018: 75,138
- Difference: -3,607
- Daily churn: -180.35 claims cleared from the backlog
The May 2018 veterans disability benefits statistics report shows the backlog shrank 5.4% since January. That doesn’t sound like much, but as inventory numbers rise, it’s nice to see backlogged claims going down.
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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.