(KNSI) – The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs says it is processing claims at a record rate.
It cleared the one millionth benefit application on March 4th, the earliest it has ever reached that milestone. In a press release, the agency says it is shuffling paper 35% faster than in 2023, which holds the record for overall claims processing.
The VA has provided $69 billion in compensation and benefits to over six million veterans this year. The surge in claims is partly due to prioritizing processing speed. It is mostly a result of the PACT Act, which authorized the agency to treat veterans exposed to toxins and other hazards from the Vietnam War to multiple Middle East conflicts.
The VA says 60.4% of claims have been approved. That jumps to over 75% for PACT Act claims. In addition to a record annual pace, the agency has seen new monthly highwater marks. It processed 221,591 claims in January 2024, beating the previous record of 193,411 in May 2023.
There have been over 35 days where 10,000 claims were processed. Before Fiscal Year 2024, the agency says it had only ever done more than 9,000 claims three times in a given day.
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