How long should it take to process a VA claim for benefits for a widow that needed to go to AL due to a psychotic disorder?

BettyB21, it is a shame. There was a time a few years ago when it took a year or two for the average claim to complete. The time frame has reduced somewhat on average but it is very difficult to predict how long any individual claim will require. The real heartbreak is the profoundly disabled veteran who does not have the financial ability to wait for the decision. While the VA will provide "backpay" to either the date that the veteran discharged or submitted the claim, it can take quite a while to complete all those steps. Meanwhile, there are too often bills that cannot be paid and mouths to feed.

It is important to keep in mind that the VA is a bureaucratic organization, and while many to most employees want to do right by the veteran or the veteran's family, often veterans themselves, they are within a process-driven system handling a huge number of claims at the same time. Processing time within the VA has decreased recently with a push to reduce the "claims backlog," but it can still take quite a while depending on what Regional Office handles the claim and other factors such the complexity of the claim. Besides Dependents Indemnity Compensation for the spouse of deceased veterans of all conflicts from WW II to the present, the VA is handling claims for veterans of all those wars as well as peace-time veterans up until now. It's not just those recently discharged. A sizable portion of the claims handled in the last five years were those exposed to Agent Orange in Vietnam who can have a whole list of conditions from diabetes to heart disease to cancers. And as few injured or sick and disabled by military service tend to get better, most claims that are filed are to increase the amount of disability compensation as those disabilities get worse as well as follow on claims for new disabilties caused by the original set of service connected disabilities. And there's the whole appeals process and backlog because of the number of errors in claim decisions.

Please believe us - we're as frustrated with the VA process as anyone - but they do have an enormous job. It is critical for anyone entering into this process to do as much as possible to make the Regional Office's job as easy as possible by providing all the medical records from the veteran's time in service to the present related to the disability being claimed and all the documentation, such as discharge paperwork, marriage licenses, birth certificates of underaged children, etc, right up front. Letters from doctors who clearly state how a particular condition came about, how bad it is, and that "it is more likely than not that the condition was caused by military service" with a statement that the doctor reviewed the service medical records make a tremendous difference. While the VA has a statuatory "duty to assist," it's best to not count on that but partner with the Regional Office to get it done.

Meanwhile, if there is a veteran out there who has a service-connected disability that can become terminal, NOW is the time to ensure that the VA processes a claim to have that condition on the books as serviced-connected. The last thing I want my wife to have to do in the aftermath of my passing is to have to fight with the VA. While many of us don't want to take a "hand out" from the government, it could mean the difference in ensuring our wives have that extra income for the future if we get taken of here.

Isn't it a shame that you have to jump thru so many hoops and need to get an attorney, a congressmen and senators involved? This is for people who fought for our country. I understand that the application has to be checked to make sure that the applicant deserves the benefit but really??? 6 months to a year in some cases? I thought, with all the recent veterans returning, that the VA was trying to provide better, quicker and more comprehensive services to our veterans and their families. It is heartbreaking to say the least.

We used American Veterans Aid out of Orange, CA. They charge everyone the same and said it would get things rolling fast. They sent me brochures with people saying it took two weeks to 2 months. I was so excited, We waited 3 months and I kept calling them, then they said it could take up to 12 months or longer. I wrote to Johnny Isakson Senator for GA, he was wonderful and sent me info ever week. He got it through for us in 4 or 5 weeks. I know now I should have called the local VA office. They will even come to your house if needed. I will need to do this for my husband soon. I will go to the VA for his application. In February 2013 it cost a lot for my Momma. I was desperate and I was slowly getting more and more indebt since I had to quit my job. I'm sure it is more expensive now. But some people will be glad to pay it like I was. They worked on it for about a month. We finally got it sent to the VA March 27th, 2013. The claim was approved July 8th, 2013. Hope this helps

My mother applied for benefits in January, 2015. Within 10 days we received a letter that they had received the documents. Haven't heard from them since, however, the VA office where she applied was wonderful. He said that we should hear something within 6-7 months. He gave me his phone number and if I need to speak with him I can do so. I have already called him and received a prompt phone call back. Mom's money will run out by the end of the year so I'm hoping the VA does it in the timeframe we were told.

Someone's suggestion of an attorney might be a good one. I had a patient whose wife had applied for VA benefits for her husband. It was two years later that he died and it STILL had not been approved!! She called every month to check on it. Two different people at two different locations told her they couldn't see what the hold up was.....but it still didn't go through! Part of the issue for him was that his service records were in the group in St Louis, Missouri, that were burned up in a building fire. NOT his fault, but it seemed to add to the delay. The other part is that you don't get the same person or location to talk to each time you call! Hard to hold people accountable!

You need to find a local office and go there. Take your mother with you - there's nothing quiet like a visual to elicit sympathy and cooperation. That is how I handled it and my mother's claim took about 3 months. I hear that others take over a year sometimes.

I know I put www. and .com in my post.

I'm so sorry for the delay. Our's did not take very long at all. 3 mos. maybe. When we started the process we had Veterans attny. help us. That's all he did. A social worker, my dad's Retirement facility and my mom's dementia/alz. facility gave us names of different attnys. that handled only Veteran clients. My dad is receiving benefits for my mom. His firm helped us get through all the paperwork, then made sure we as was stated above, we dotted all our i's and crossed our t's. They had told us not to expect anything for at least 6 mos. but we must have really been lucky because it about 3 to 4 mos at the most. We paid the attny up front for his help but IF we were refused benefits we got our money back. We checked out all the attnys thoroughly and talked with other's that had used his firm. Good Luck and God Bless....

Sorry, if u don't cross all ur t's and dot ur i's u can be turned down. Here is the ebsite - veteransfinancial. I went to a seminar and they were very informtive.

I posted this before and the info didn't seem to all come thru. This company help s to expedite claims. Seems if u don't dot all the t's and i's

Keep waiting is my suggestion because the VA moves at a snail's pace. I got Sen. John McCain's office involved and it moved a little faster, but they will hopefully delay until the widow/er dies. They do not care how long it takes.

We applied for benefits about a year ago. Somebody come to the house and we thought everything was in order. Months later got a denial letter with some highlighted sentences on forms. So confusing it makes you want to give up. We still haven't tried again.

It depends. Seeking VA benefits can be a long and frustrating ordeal, a real trial of patience. No disrepect to the others who have answered, but only a Congressman or Senator can reorder the stacks and that's only sometimes. The only other option is due to severe financial distress which typically includes the foreclosure of the primary residence, haven't paid utilities in months and about to be cut off, etc. We don't know how the severe financial "card" works for widows, only veterans.

Are you seeking a "pension" in light of your dad's (mom's) non-service connected disabilities or are you seeking Dependents Indemnity Compensation (DIC)? If DIC, the assumption is that your dad died of conditions that developed during or because of his active duty. If DIC, were those conditions already "service connected" by the VA or are your starting from the beginning?

These are important questions because there is a huge amount of difference between one to another in terms of process and time as well as which VA Regional Office is processing and deciding the claim. IF your dad died of a service conneced disability and the VA had that disability on file in that he was considered by the VA to be partially or fully disabled, your mom's DIC claim is likely much easier. If you're starting the process of proving service connection at this point, it can be an uphill battle depending on your dad's circumstances, and the VA can seem pretty cold in making widows fight for years for their DIC. Meanwhile, depending on where your mom lives, the Regional Office that services your mom's area could move much faster or much slower on a claim due in large part to the volume of claims they process each year. White River Junction in VT, for instance, is very quick. St Petersburg, FL, is like molassas. In some cases, claims get shifted between those offices which are more overwhelmed to those which are less burdened.

You might consider getting her an eBenefits account:
https://www.ebenefits.va.gov/ebenefits/homepage

From this portal, you can track her claim's progress without having to call, email, or visit someone. Of note, the portal has accuracy issues.

Otherwise, considering which Regional Office has your mom's claim and what kind of claim it is, you can find some general timeframe information as well as that office's published error rate updated weekly on what are called the Monday Morning Workload Reports:
http://benefits.va.gov/REPORTS/detailed_claims_data.asp

Finally, it seems as if your mom has a POA within the Regional Office called a National Service Officer, such as a county veterans bureau, Disabled American Veterans, VFW, etc. Get after whomever that is for an update. They may have better information that you can get through the Regional Office in person, by email, or by phone and should be faster to contact. If you're not getting a call back, that NSO has a boss. Call the boss.

We've glossed over the VA process pretty quickly. There is some benefit of having a knowledgable and competent NSO helping you in that you can get a much more in depth explanation of what to expect in your mom's specific case. The key is to have someone both knowledgable and competent. If you're not comfortable, switch to a different organization. County offices have a bad reputation in general, but you can find the best, most caring NSOs there. Disabled American Veterans is one of the biggest and seemingly best trained, but you may be disappointed. If your dad was part of a group like American Legion or VFW, that would be our choice of service organizations to approach, but call the post first for a recommendation on which NSO to approach.

This is a tough process. Hang in there!

Contact your local Representative for your state. My Mom had a gentleman working on it for her. They kept delaying it. He had once worked for the VA and understood their process. He said that new claims come in daily and they will put yours on the bottom to work on new claims. You have to call them to pull it back to the top of the list. This guy did it every week was calling in to find out what else was needed just to get it back on the top. Finally after 8 months my Mom wrote a letter to her local Representative and the Senator. Within just 2 weeks they had approved her for benefits. I hope this helps.

We got it for my Mother in Law but it took at least 9 months after she was admitted into assisted living.I know this won't help much if you need the money now but once it is approved you will also get the money from the time the patient was admitted retroactive.

The paperwork that the VA sent me said 6-9 months. I don't know if they can expedite it or not, depending on your circumstances.
Is your VA office local? I hate to suggest: but maybe you need to go there in person. I got the name of a worker at the VA Aide and Attendance office from a friend who is a social worker. She has been very helpful. Do you have any contacts who might know the name of a person in that office? If your mom was recently hospitalized or is now in an AL ask the social worker there to help you. or if there is a senior citizen center in your area try talking with them.