Current Trends in Veteran Disability Compensation

By July 2007, approximately 787,000 service members left active military duty and became eligible for benefits administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). As the veteran population ages, service-connected conditions may arise or worsen. Congressional Research Service (CRS), a support agency of the United States Congress, asked the Capstone team to investigate reports of veterans facing lengthy delays in the adjudication of their disability compensation claims. CRS intends to use this report to supplement their current research and analysis on public policy issues, which are distributed to Congressmembers and their staff. The Capstone team investigated trends in veteran populations and disability compensation using the Annual Benefit Reports compiled by the Department of Veteran's Affairs, interviews with key informants, and analyses of available veteran survey data. Areas of interest include the aging veteran population, medical innovation, and legislation pertinent to disability compensation.