The time it takes veterans to get a decision on — and then start receiving — disability benefits soared in 2012, rising nearly 40% for one step and 30% for another over 2011, the Government Accountability Office found. (PDF of report)

It took about two more months in 2012 for a decision to be made on a claim (8.5 months in total) and about two more months to “complete a claim where a decision has been reached” (also about 8.5 months), the report said.  The data is through August, 2012.

“A number of factors—both external and internal to the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA)—have contributed to the increase in processing time frames and subsequent growth in the backlog of veterans’ disability compensation claims,” the report says.

Contributing to the backlog are a growth in the number (due to swelling of the combat force last decade) and complexity of claims, as well as trying to obtain supporting paperwork from National Guard and Reserve organizations, as well as the Social Security Administration.

“Compared to the past, these claims have a higher number of disabling conditions, and some of these conditions, such as traumatic brain injuries, make their assessment complex.”

With another 1 million service members expected to leave service within five years, the number of claims is expected to continue to rise.

The GAO recommended that the Veteran’s Benefits Administration work more closely with states to quicken the National Guard and Reserve paperwork process; do the same with the Social Security Administration; and “ensure the development of a robust plan for its initiatives that identifies performance goals that include the impact of individual initiatives on processing timeliness.”

Map below shows delays by region.

Related: Center for Investigative Reporting’s interactive map on claim backlogs, updated weekly.