The Department of Veterans Affairs<\/a> (VA) took a step forward toward alleviating the backlog of disability claims, but that problem is still far from solved.<\/p>\n For the first time since February 2011, the number of backlogged disability claims dropped below the 350,000 mark. That\u2019s a decrease of more than 250,000 cases in the past year, a pace that officials believe they can maintain to bring the backlog to zero by 2015.<\/p>\n Still, 350,000 veterans remain in what has been a rather long waiting line for the past several years. The backlog number is based on the number of claims pending for more than 125 days.<\/p>\n VA Undersecretary of Benefits Allison Hickey<\/a> said that new technology, the new paperless claims system, better training of claims workers, and improved communication systems have all contributed to the decrease. In addition, the Undersecretary acknowledged that mandatory overtime for claims processors over the last two years has been a (more…)<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) took a step forward toward alleviating the backlog of disability claims, but that problem is still far from solved. For the first time since February 2011, the number of backlogged disability claims dropped below…<\/span><\/p>\n