Thousands of vets’ disability claims delayed years because of glitch – By Leo Shane III (The Federal Times) / Aug 24, 2023
About 32,000 veterans’ disability claims were delayed — some as long as five years — due to a technical flaw in federal filing systems, Veterans Affairs officials acknowledged this week.
The total represents only a small fraction of the more than 7 million claims filed since the start of 2018, but has left some individuals waiting for years for answers on cases that are only just now being processed. Leaders called the problem an embarrassing oversight and have promised that veterans will be awarded back pay once their files are handled.
“We have identified all of the veterans who were impacted by this issue, started processing their claims, and begun notifying them of this delay via mail,” VA officials said in a statement. “We are processing these claims with the utmost urgency.”
“We deeply apologize to these veterans for the delay, and we will ensure they receive the benefits they’ve earned as quickly as possible. We will also continue to review our technology, processes, and systems to prevent such technical issues from impacting veterans in the future.”
