How Long Does a VA Claim Take?
According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the average processing time for a VA disability claim as of May 2024 is 147.2 days. However, there is no set time frame. How long the VA takes to process your claim depends on the type of claim you file, the amount of time the VA must spend collecting evidence, the number of disabilities you claim, and the complexity of your medical conditions. Veterans Guide can help you avoid delays and, on occasion, expedite your claim.
Once the Department of Veterans Affairs receives your disability claim, the agency must go through several steps to approve it, including reviewing your information, gathering and reviewing evidence, and determining your disability rating. Due to the abundance of claims the VA receives, it typically has a backlog that prevents it from starting this process immediately.
You may be able to accelerate the process by providing the VA with complete information upfront or taking advantage of the VA’s expedited processing options if you are eligible. Once your VA disability claim is approved, you will generally receive your first disability payment within 15 days of approval.
What Makes Some Claims Take Longer than Others?
The claims that take the longest are those requiring the VA to do more work to verify your medical conditions and assign a disability rating. The following factors impact processing time:
- The type of claim you file
- The number of disabilities the VA must consider
- The complexity of your medical conditions
- The difficulty in finding your service records
The Type of Claim You File
You have the option to file a Standard Claim or a Fully Developed Claim. While a Fully Developed Claim requires more effort, it may result in a faster processing time.
If you want the VA to do most of the work obtaining verification to support your claim, you can file a Standard Claim with or without verification. The VA will attempt to locate your health records and medical history. However, if you received health care outside of the VA, you may still need to submit medical records or information about your providers. Additionally, the VA may require you to complete a medical examination. You also can file your application without documentation and provide the information within one calendar year from your claim date.
In a Fully Developed Claim, you provide all documentation upfront and certify that the VA will not need any other information to process your claim. This option saves the VA steps, resulting in a faster processing time. You may still be required to undergo a VA medical examination. If the VA determines that more information is needed, it will convert your claim to a Standard Claim.
The Complexity of Your Disabilities
The more complex your diagnosis, the more time the VA will need to process your claim. If you have multiple conditions, the VA will evaluate each one separately, assess how the combined disabilities affect your functioning, and assign a combined disability rating. These steps take more time than a simple claim involving one medical condition.
For example, if you have mesothelioma with verified asbestos exposure during your military service, the VA has just one condition to verify and may be able to easily connect it to your military service.
However, if you have diabetes with numerous secondary conditions, such as diabetic retinopathy, tinea pedis, and kidney disease, your claim will require a more extensive review. The VA must determine whether you are entitled to a VA disability rating for diabetes. Because many factors can contribute to diabetes, this diagnosis alone could require extensive documentation to connect it to military service.
If the VA verifies a service connection, it must confirm that the other conditions are service-connected or secondary to diabetes. The VA will then need to assign a rating to each condition and calculate your combined rating.
Presumptive Disabilities
Presumptive injuries and illnesses are medical conditions the VA automatically presumes are connected to military service. While you will still need evidence that you were diagnosed with a presumptive condition and meet the VA’s requirements for the presumption, the VA will not need evidence proving that the condition is connected to your military service.
When you have a non-presumptive condition, you will need a statement from your doctor verifying that your condition is connected to your military service. During processing, the VA will scrutinize this statement and may look into your complete medical history to rule out non-military causes.
Examples of Presumptive Disabilities
| Military Service Event | Conditions |
|---|---|
| At least 90 days of active duty | Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS |
| Prisoner of war, depending on the length of imprisonment |
|
| Agent Orange exposure during the Vietnam conflict |
|
| Ionizing radiation exposure in atomic veterans |
|
| Persian Gulf War |
|
| Post-9/11 service, depending on where you served |
|
| Occupations with asbestos exposure |
|
The Difficulty in Finding Your Service Records
In 1973, a fire at the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, Missouri, destroyed 80 percent of the records of Army veterans discharged before 1960 and Air Force veterans discharged before 1964. If your records were destroyed in this fire, the VA must work with the National Personnel Records Center and other government agencies to reconstruct your military history using other sources. This process could extend your processing time.
How to Check the Status of VA Claims
You can check the status of your VA claim by logging into your VA.gov account online. If you do not have an account at VA.gov, you can create an account or sign in using an ID.met, DS, or My HealtheVet online account. If you have questions, you can call (800) 827-1000.
What Should I Do as I Wait for My VA Claim?
After submitting your claim, the most important thing to do is watch for communications from the VA. The VA may request more information or schedule a physical examination. The VA will generally notify you through the mail, but you may receive an email notification or a phone call. If you fail to respond to a request for additional information, your claim could be delayed or denied.
If you miss the exam, your application could be delayed, or the VA will process it without the exam. Because the VA only requires exams when the reviewer determines the existing documentation is insufficient, a missed exam increases the odds of a denial.
How to Expedite the VA Claim Process
You may be able to shorten your VA disability claim process by filing a Fully Developed Claim, a Priority Processing Request, or a Benefits Delivery at Discharge VA Claim.
Fully Developed Claims
When filing a Fully Developed Claim, you will need to specify that you are filing this type of claim and provide the following information with your initial application:
- Your DD-214
- Medical reports and test results from all of your non-VA doctors
- Your military medical records
- Any other military records related to the condition
- VA health records, if you have them
- Supporting statements from family members if your medical records don’t sufficiently support your claim
- Information about health records not in your possession that the VA can request on your behalf from the VA or another federal facility
Priority Processing Request
You may be eligible for priority processing if you can show that you have one or more of the following qualifying circumstances:
- Extreme financial hardship
- Terminal illness
- Diagnosis of ALS
- Very serious injury or illness likely to trigger your discharge from service
- Age of 85 or older
- History of being a prisoner of war
- Medal of Honor or Purple Heart Award
To apply, you must use the VA’s Priority Processing Request form.
BDD VA Claim
If you are still serving in the military and your service is ending during the next 90 to 180 days, you may be eligible to apply for disability benefits through the Benefits Delivery at Discharge program, or BDD. To qualify, you must know your separation date and undergo a VA medical examination within 45 days of your claim. Determination under the BDD program is faster than for Fully Developed or Standard Claims. The earlier you start, the sooner the VA can process your claim.
If your discharge date will occur in less than 90 days, you cannot file a claim under the BDD program, but you can start your Fully Developed Claim or Standard Claim before your discharge. You also must meet other strict criteria. For example, you will not qualify if you are pregnant or severely injured. You must be available for the examination in the United States or one of the designated facilities in Korea or Germany.
How Long Do Appeals Take?
VA Disability appeals can take a few months to several years to process, depending on the type of appeal you file, the backlog of appeals, and your claim’s complexity.
Supplemental Claims
You could file a Supplemental Claim if you have new evidence to add to your existing claim, or a newly enacted law may change the VA’s decision. The VA attempts to file Supplemental Claims in an average of 125 days. However, as of June 2024, the average processing time is 145.8 days.
Higher Level Review
If you disagree with the VA’s decision on your initial claim or a Supplemental Review, you can request a Higher-Level Review. You cannot submit new evidence with this type of claim. The VA attempts to complete Higher-Level Reviews in approximately four to five months.
You may be able to request an informal conference with the reviewer as part of your review. However, this step could increase the wait. Alternatively, you could submit a written statement with your request explaining why you disagree with the decision, which could accelerate the processing time. Our experienced attorneys at Veterans Guide can identify errors in the VA’s decision-making process and prepare the written statement for you.
Board Appeals
A Board Appeal is an appeal to a Veterans Law Judge at the Board of Appeals. You can file a Board Appeal if you disagree with the decision on your initial claim, Supplemental Claim, or Higher-Level Review. You generally must file your Board Appeal within one year of the denial. There are three types of Board Appeals that you can request, each with varying processing times:
| Type of Board Appeal | What It Is | The Board’s Processing Time Goal |
|---|---|---|
| Direct Review | The judge reviews your appeal based on the existing evidence | 1 year |
| Evidence Submission | The judge reviews the evidence in the record and any new evidence you submit | 550 days |
| Hearing | You will meet with the judge virtually or in person in Washington, D.C., at your own expense | 2 years |
How Long Does a Deferred Claim Take?
Deferred claims are claims the VA has put on pause because of a lack of information needed to continue. The delay can occur when the VA must request additional information from you. If the VA does not receive the information within 30 days, it will make a determination based on the information available. Sometimes, the VA may issue a rating on some of your disabilities while denying or deferring others.
The time it takes to resolve a deferred claim will depend on where the VA was in the review process when the missing information was discovered, how quickly you responded to the request for additional information, and the complexity of the additional information. These factors potentially increase processing time by a month or more.
What to Do If Your Claim Has Been Denied
If your VA benefits claim has been denied or you receive an inadequate disability rating, you have the right to appeal the decision. During an appeal, you will generally need to identify errors the VA made during processing or submit more evidence.
At Veteran’s Guide, our attorneys understand the VA’s stringent requirements and how to get approved with a disability rating that fully accounts for your limitations. We can prevent delays on your claim so you receive your benefits as soon as possible. Contact us online today or call (888) 982-1009 for a free consultation.
- VA Disability Appeals
- VA Disability Conditions
- Top 20 VA Claims
- TDIU
- Back Pay Ratings Increase
- Taxability of VA Disability
- BDD VA Claim
- How Long Does a VA Claim Take
- VA Disability 5-Year Rule
- How Much Weight Does a C&P Exam Have?
- Nexus Letter
- What is a Protected Veteran?
- Will My Spouse Receive My Benefits if I Die?
- VA Death Benefits
- VA Mileage Reimbursement
- VA Home Loans
- Veteran Finance
