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Process of Veterans Disability Claims Interrupted by VA Requirements

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has put in place a very intricate set of rules that are likely directly negatively affecting compensation claims made by veterans with disabilities. According to an article in The Army Times, the VA's rules placed on the doctors who are screening veterans are so compound that they are causing delays in the processing of disability compensation claims.

Veterans with multiple health problems and multiple symptoms present complicated issues for VA doctors in that screening doctors are responsible for linking each symptom with a related disability. According to Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash), the need for that process "may not be medically supported," and because of that thousands of claims may be delayed while being processed.

When examining doctors are unable to determine which symptom is caused by which diagnosis, and are therefore unable to produce a distinct opinion as to which individual symptom is related to each overlapping disability, VA regional offices are forced to return those exams to the providers. That means more time has to be spent in order to process each individual claim.

There are currently 868,000 claims pending at the VA. Of those, 61% are over 125 days old. As it stands, some veterans are being forced to wait years for resolution to their claims cases.

If you are a disabled veteran who has been denied disability compensation or have not yet applied for benefits from the VA, a South Florida disability attorney from LaVan & Neidenberg is ready to help. To learn if you are entitled to certain programs and benefits contact our veterans disability rights firm today - 1-888-234-5758.