Our September 2023 veterans disability benefits statistics report is here, so let’s take a look at the VA’s latest numbers. These monthly reports show how claims filed with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs changed during the past 30 days. We’ll explain how the VA’s latest claim statistics may impact veterans and their families below.
September 2023 Veterans Disability Benefits Statistics: Claims Inventory Status
The September 2023 veterans disability benefits report lists all claims the VA must either assign ratings or approve for payment. This monthly update includes all disability, pension, and survivor benefit claims the VA is currently working on. On September 2, the VA’s claims inventory broke its previous record high of 883,000 pending applications set back in 2012. Today, more than a million outstanding claims are sitting in the VA’s claims inventory waiting for review:
- As of September 2, 2023: 1,077,288
- As of August 5, 2023: 944,142
- Difference: +133,146
- Daily churn: +6,657 claims
Filing a VA claim for benefits this month? You’ll wait about 126-233 days for a response, based on the September 2023 veterans disability benefits statistics report. You should also keep in mind that supplemental claims make up 75% of today’s inventory growth. PACT Act conditions, newly approved VA presumptive disabilities, and Agent Orange-related illnesses and injuries make up most supplemental claims.
September 2023 Veterans Disability Benefits Statistics: Claims Backlog Status
Any claim that’s more than 125 days old counts under the VA’s backlog. The September 2023 veterans disability benefits report’s backlog is actually quite small compared to this month’s total pending VA claims:
- As of September 2, 2023: 282,220
- As of August 5, 2023: 272,525
- Difference: +9,695
- Daily churn: +486 claims added to the backlog
Looking at these numbers, about 26% of September’s total VA claims are backlogged. Supplemental claims make up 70% of this month’s backlog. Another 42% are for new or worse service-connected disabilities.
The following service members make up most of September 2023’s VA claims backlog:
- 44% are Iraq as well as Afghanistan veterans
- 27% are Vietnam veterans
- 18% are Gulf War-era veterans
- 9% are peacetime veterans
- 2% are claims from veterans who served in all other eras, combined
How to Get Free Expert VA Claim Help
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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.