VA Website Maintenance (2024)

FAQs

Why is the VA website always down? ›

We have periodic, scheduled outages to perform site maintenance and apply upgrades to features. This page lists upcoming outages in Eastern Time (ET). We apologize for any inconvenience caused during outage times.

One status that may signify approval of an appeal is “We are correcting an error.” This is a good sign for a Veteran because it means that mistakes were made on the VA's part and not on the Veteran's part.

While every claim is different, it takes VA an average of three to four months to process a claim from beginning to end. Processing times depend on how complex your claim is and the number of conditions you've claimed.

How long does a Higher-Level Review take? Our goal for completing claims that aren't related to health care benefits is an average of 125 days (4 to 5 months). Note: If you ask for an informal conference as part of your Higher-Level Review, it may take us longer to complete.

Veterans who receive care at facilities that have implemented the new EHR system can access their My VA Health patient portal directly (VA recommends using the Firefox, Edge or Chrome web browsers).

Many veterans face difficulties navigating VA healthcare, a lack of awareness of benefits or challenges in working through the complex system to receive them, inadequate mental health support, long wait times at VA facilities, and poor access to VA facilities in rural areas.

To be eligible for schedular TDIU benefits, a veteran must have either: a single service-connected condition with a rating of at least 60 percent; or. (the 70/40 rule) at least two service-connected conditions with a combined rating of at least 70 percent, with at least one of the conditions rated 40 percent or higher.

How long it takes to fix an error depends on the new claim rater and how much evidence the VA missed on the first go around. However, If the error was caught during a Higher-Level Review, the new rater who gets your returned file is required to expedite it.

The average processing time for VA claims, supplemental claims, and Higher Level Reviews (HLRs) is between 120-150 days. However, BVA Direct Docket Appeals are currently averaging three years, although efforts are underway to expedite this process.

You can check the status of your VA claim, decision review, or appeal online right now. You'll need to sign in first with Login.gov, ID.me, DS Logon, or My HealtheVet. If you don't have any of these accounts, you can create a free Login.gov or ID.me account now.

What is the fastest VA claim? ›

The Decision Ready Claim (DRC) Program is the fastest way to get your VA claim processed. With the DRC Program, you can get a decision on your claim within 30 days by working with an accredited Veterans Service Organization (VSO).

What not to say at a C&P exam. The most vital thing not to do at your claim exam is to pretend your symptoms aren't as bad as they are. It's not the time to play tough. You don't want to exaggerate your symptoms, but you should be honest about how bad they are and exactly how they impact your life.

Unless there is clear and indisputable evidence that shows the original decision was incorrect, requesting a Higher-Level Review cannot be disadvantageous to the claimant.

Higher-Level Review Approval Rate

Higher-level reviews are where your claim is reviewed by a more senior reviewer checks the work of the initial reviewer who denied your claim. While the higher-level reviewer can overturn the initial denial, VA data suggests that this happens only in about one out of every ten cases.

Basically, the VA can reevaluate your disability rating every 2 to 5 years unless your rating is permanent or protected. Depending on the results of the reexamination and reevaluation, you may see a reduced rating. Some conditions are likely to fluctuate in severity over time.

For decades, that is what has happened to many thousands of former servicemembers with bad paper discharges when they attempted to seek care from VA. Importantly, an estimated 400,000 are currently at risk of being turned away from services they may be entitled to.

The original eBenefits site will remain functional until March 31, 2022, so veterans can complete claims they currently have in the system. After that, va.gov will be the sole source for accessing VA benefits, checking the status of a claim, and changing contact and direct deposit information.

Having multiple claims also causes delay, especially if they are not proceeding simultaneously. The VA cannot rub its stomach and pat its head at the same time. Claims at different stages require attention by different personnel in the VA, and the claims file can only be in one place at a time.

If you receive an error when attempting to access a Veterans Affairs site after verification (Error Code: PE, etc), try the following: Clear your browser's cache and cookies. Also, enable cookies in your browser settings. Update your browser to the latest version.