Shinseki: Utah VA ‘Superb’ In Pilot Of New System For Disability Claims

Kristen Moulton | Salt Lake Tribune | June 25, 2013

Claims backlog » VA claims it is on track to end backlog in 2015.

Veterans can now file their disability claims online, a move that will help the Department of Veterans Affairs erase its backlog of claims in 2015, V.A. Secretary Eric Shinseki said Tuesday in Salt Lake City.

Shinseki spent the day visiting the V.A.’s regional office in Salt Lake City, where claims for disabilities and pensions are processed, and the George E. Wahlen Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center. He also toured Valor House, a new apartment complex for homeless veterans which opened in March on the V.A. campus on Salt Lake City’s east side.

The online claims are linked to the new Veterans Benefits Management System (VBMS), the electronic claims processing system that is now in place ahead of schedule in all 56 regional offices around the country, Shinseki said.