The backlog of veterans' disability claims will reportedly finish 2015 near its lowest level in six years — but may never completely disappear.
Claims are down to 75,000 cases — half the number when the Department of Veterans Affairs began publicly tracking the figure in 2009, and 88 percent down from its peak of nearly 612,000 cases in the spring of 2013,
Military Times reports.
Since 2012, more than 940,000 new veterans have been added to VA's compensation lists, Military Times reports, yet the White House and VA leaders have targeted 2015 as the year they'd eliminate the backlog of first-time claims pending for more than four months.
VA officials tell the outlet some claims will always need more than four months to process "for a number of complex reasons," including shifting schedules for medical exams, additional entitlement issues, and new evidence in a veteran's case during its processing, Military Times reports.
The outlet reports it's estimated about 10 percent of new claims fall into those categories, translating into a rolling list of about 40,000 backlogged claims.
"While complete elimination of the backlog may not be achievable under our current processing systems and procedures, we know there is still more that we can do," the VA tells Military Times in a statement.
"VA's legal duty to assist veterans in fully developing their claims is an obligation we take seriously and will not rush," the statement adds. "VA employees are dedicated to getting veterans the benefits they have earned as quickly and accurately as possible."
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