Veterans established a record for online benefit applications submitted on the day after President Joe Biden signed the Toxic Exposures Act into law, and by mid-November, he had more than 136,000 qualifying for benefits under the act. I submitted. The VA anticipates that over 700,000 veterans and surviving family members will apply in the upcoming months. ..
The VA is adding personnel to handle the influx of claims and offer medical care, but officials anticipate a short-term increase in the backlog. The VA is expecting an increase in the number of claims this year, but they are expecting it to be less than last year’s total. Officials anticipate that the backlog will be shortened by the end of the year.
As Secretary of Social Services, Joshua Jacobs oversees the VA’s delegated responsibilities. In mid-November, he stated that the VA was “more able to handle this extra burden” than he was in 2013. This would allow at least 600,000 veterans to receive benefits. ..
He addressed the U.S. Senate during a session, saying, “For members who followed the claims backlog for so long, you may be asking, ‘Are we about to witness the same scenario unfold here today?’” “I’m glad to announce that we are better equipped to handle this extra workload today.”
The VA is planning to hire 1,500 more employees to help with the transition to a paperless system and a new hiring process that will require veterans to apply online. The VA is also investing in software that will help it manage the backlog of applications.
At a Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee oversight hearing, he said that the Department of Veterans Affairs does " foresee an increase to the inventory and the backlog in the short term as we continue to encourage more veterans and survivors to file for their PACT Act benefits."
The VA has reduced the backlog of claims to less than 150,000 as of this month, the lowest level in years. Additionally, he stated that the organization is urging veterans and qualified surviving family members of fallen veterans who are now covered by the hazardous exposure law to submit applications before August. Visit the VA website or get in touch with your Veterans Services Organization Authorized Representative to learn more about the earliest effective date, which is October 10, 2023.
