Veterans Lawyer Calls for VA to Fix Glitches Affecting Disability Claims System

Northville, Michigan – Last year, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced the discovery of additional technical issues with its online disability claims system, impacting tens of thousands of veterans. The revelation came after VA officials disclosed two weeks prior that 32,000 disability claims had been lost due to similar glitches dating back to 2018.

The most recent issues involved almost 57,000 additional cases, comprising around 7 percent of all such claims filed in the last 12 years. Most of the cases pertain to veterans who attempted to make changes to their existing disability claims, such as modifying the number of dependents.

Such changes could have had significant financial implications for veterans, potentially affecting their monthly benefits by thousands of dollars each year. Some cases have remained in limbo since the VA’s online filing process was introduced in 2011. An unknown number of cases are more than a decade old.

“The repeated IT issues plaguing the VA is a cause for concern about the department’s immediate and long-term plans for managing its technology infrastructure,” said VA disability attorney Jim Fausone of Legal Help for Veterans. “This year alone, multiple errors have affected tens of thousands of veterans. Veterans deserve a reliable system that ensures their benefits and appeals are processed correctly and promptly.”

In addition to the dependency claims issues, around 900 veterans who filed disability case appeals were unable to access the right forms due to a software problem that arose while the website was being updated. The glitches affected nearly 75 percent of appeals filed through the online portal over a six-week period starting in late July.

Addressing the ongoing technical challenges, VA press secretary Terrence Hayes stated that the department was taking prompt “action to resolve these issues” and ensure they do not recur. The VA assured veterans that both the dependency claims and appeals cases are being addressed. Furthermore, officials said that veterans who experienced delays due to the errors will have their cases backdated to the original dates when processing should have started.

VA leaders also vowed to carry out a comprehensive review of its online systems. New measures will be introduced to immediately identify any claims that are not processed correctly.

Regarding the initial technical glitch, the VA sent out letters to the affected veterans. Former service members were advised to pay attention to their mail and respond to departmental requests for additional information.

To learn more about Legal Help for Veterans, visit https://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/.