When it comes to appealing disability benefits decisions, veterans can file limitless appeals, which means that until the system is changed, the Department of Veteran Affairs’ backlog isn’t going anywhere.
While gains have been made to reduce wait times, the number of appeals has grown rapidly, reports the Los Angeles Times.
Currently, there are fewer than 80,000 veterans awaiting a decision on their claims, down from 600,000 a few years ago. However, the number of veterans awaiting appeals has climbed from 167,412 in 2005, to 425,480 as of this October.