It should come as no surprise to anyone that the Department of Veterans Affairs take a long time to process a claim for disability benefits. Much of the delay is the result of the large number of military actions US forces are engaged in, as well as by applications based on conditions that were not available at the time; Agent Orange is an excellent example.
The DVA is aware of this and they are working on improving the processing time, but even with small improvements, delays are still a major problem.
Inaccurate submissions cause delays:
Many problems can be overcome if the applicant was to hire a VA disability lawyer. Many delays are not the fault of the DVA, they fall right back on the claimant being unable to gather his or her medical records. Skilled attorneys can usually locate these records and if not, they can get substantiating opinions from the doctors involved.
What else can you do?
As well as gathering medical reports and recent opinions, you and your VA disability attorney can ensure that everything that can be done is done. Simple things; making sure that all documentation and evidence is submitted in the correct format; ensuring that any records that have been requested by the DVA have been sent to the right place. Your attorney will follow up with the DVA to make sure that nothing is missing that would delay the process.
The DVA is a federal government agency and they work by the book. If there is anything missing from your application or there is even the slightest error, this can often cause the claim to be denied which leads to an appeal. If you think the initial claim takes long, you don’t want to face an appeal if you can avoid it. Always get the assistance you need from a qualified VA disability attorney.