Here is our weekly update on the status of the enormous backlog of Veterans Benefits Administration disability claims. The data below is extracted from the weekly “Monday Morning Workload Report” released by the VA. The most recent cover the week ending Oct. 5.
Initial indications were the government shutdown that began a week ago would halt progress made in eliminating the backlog but at least in the first week, progress continued, based on the data released on Monday.
| CLAIMS PENDING | OVER 125 DAYS | % OVER 125 DAYS | AVG. DAYS PENDING | |
| This week | 670,124 | 399,214 | 60% | 181.2 |
| Last week | 670,674 | 401,952 | 59.90% | 185.2 |
| Change | -550 | -2,738 | -0.30 | -4 |
| Year ago | 809,240 | 544,591 | 67% | N/A |
Below: Claims pending (left) and backlog (right) as of 10/5/13. (Note: Includes disability and pension). Pie charts are from the Veteran’s Benefits Administration.
→ Full VA disablity data dashboard on Medill National Security Zone.