On October 20, 2013, a local veteran filed an application for disability benefits and compensation with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) . As of April 13, 2014, the veteran is still waiting because his application is in the "evidence collection" phase, with a "delay notice sent" for documents that the VA requested from a third party (Department of Veterans Affairs). His claim is one of thousands of backlogged VA claims. More than a year ago, the VA promised to move more quickly to help veterans. They did this amid widespread criticism of excessive bureaucracy (Emmons). As of April 21, 2014, there remained 602,000 claims being processed in VA's 56 regional offices (VAROs) nationwide, of which 325,080, or 54 percent, were pending. more than 125 days (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs) (Heller, Casey and Morran 5). Nationally, the goal set by the VA is to eliminate the disability claims backlog by the end of 2015. (Stars and Stripes) As of Veterans Day 2013, the number of claims Veterans' disability rate currently stands at more than 400,000, meaning applicants have been waiting for more than four months - the VA's goal for maximum allowable time (Glantz, Overtime, New Computer System Put Sowned Dent in VA Benefits Backlog). There are a variety of reasons given for the backlog, coming from sources including Congress, the administration, newspaper articles, and government reports. Some of these include: 1. Reports indicate that more than 500,000 claims reported in 1993 were due to common agreement on the complexity of claims.2. In 1994, a newspaper published an article citing the poor economic conditions of elderly veterans, which led to more compensation claims, thereby overwhelming the VA.3. ...... middle of paper ......s-backlog-44-percent.htm>.Philpott, Tom. Shinseki: The backlog target attracted fire, as well as dollars. July 18, 2013. Military update. Internet article. April 13, 2014. .Stars and Stripes. “Veteran: You shouldn’t have to fight so hard for benefits.” Stars And Stripes March 22, 2014. Web. April 13, 2014. .United States Department of Veterans Affairs. Monday morning workload report. Spreadsheet. Washington DC: Department of Veterans Affairs, 2014. Excel spreadsheet. April 22, 2014. .Wright, Wayne. VA even slower to process disability claims. March 5, 2014. Online. April 13 2014. .