Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America ( IAVA) is the first and largest organization serving new veterans and their families. IAVA caters specifically to veterans of the Iraq War and War in Afghanistan and has nearly 300,000 members and supporters across the country. IAVA is committed to supporting veterans and raising awareness about veterans’ needs and policies.
As part of their mission to raise public awareness about the unique challenges new veterans face, IAVA recently conducted a survey of its members. The following data was obtained using only the results of veterans who responded to IAVA’s 2014 member survey. Although it is not representative of all Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, it does shed light on the obstacles our most recent veterans face when it comes to veterans disability benefits.
- 70% of veterans who filed disability claims waited longer than 120 days before being notified by the VA about the decision on their claim.
- 65% of veterans said their finances were impacted while waiting for their disability claims to be reviewed.
- 40% of veterans have a service related injury for which they have not filed a claim.
71% of veterans who took the survey reported that they have not yet filed a claim but are planning to. They gave the following reasons for not filing:
- Not sure where to begin
- Having to gather paperwork
- Too busy
29% of veterans who said they weren’t planning on filing a claim or were uncertain about filing a claim, gave the following reasons:
- Didn’t want to deal with the VA
- Put off by backlog and long wait times
- Didn’t believe the VA would handle their claim accurately
- Didn’t want to deal with the paperwork
Again, IAVA’s 2014 survey only surveyed a select group of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, so the statistics may not be the most accurate sampling of veterans. Still, they show the types of concerns vets have and the obstacles they face during the VA disability claim process. These are the types of issues our South Carolina veterans disability lawyers are prepared to fully address for our clients. We can help Veterans anywhere, across the United States.
If you or a family member are considering filing for veterans disability benefits and have these same concerns, George Sink, P.A. Injury Lawyers wants you to know that we are here to help you through this difficult process. Our goal is to handle much of the work on your behalf so that you can receive the benefits you deserve.
To learn more about filing a veterans disability claim, contact our firm for a FREE case review.