Using Veteran Benefits Administration (VBA) published claims data, we’ve created a chart of the current VA claims backlog by state in 2024.
It should come as no surprise that the backlog of VA disability claims is highest in the states where more veterans live (more veterans = more VA disability claims).
For example, Texas, Florida, California, Georgia, and North Carolina have the highest number of backlogged claims of the 50 states.
Delaware, Alaska, North Dakota, Rhode Island, and Vermont have the lowest number of backlogged claims.
Table of Contents
Key Findings of Our Research
- The VA has made solid progress toward burning down the backlog of disability claims in all 50 states over the past six months.
- Texas (31,603), Florida (25,676), California (20,357), Georgia (14,086), and North Carolina (12,169) have the highest number of backlogged VA claims.
- Delaware (910), Alaska (902), North Dakota (789), Rhode Island (675), and Vermont (370) have the lowest number of backlogged VA claims.
- The VA claims backlog hit its highest point in a decade at 417,855 in January 2024, but has since decreased by 27% to 307,030 as of May 2024.
Current VA Claims Backlog by State 2024
Note: This data only includes backlogged VA disability compensation claims.
| State | Total Backlogged Claims (High to Low) |
|---|---|
| Texas | 31,603 |
| Florida | 25,676 |
| California | 20,357 |
| Georgia | 14,086 |
| North Carolina | 12,169 |
| Virginia | 11,298 |
| Ohio | 8,263 |
| Pennsylvania | 8,194 |
| Alabama | 7,426 |
| Illinois | 7,229 |
| South Carolina | 7,226 |
| New York | 7,081 |
| Arizona | 6,976 |
| Tennessee | 6,757 |
| Washington | 6,213 |
| Michigan | 6,089 |
| Oklahoma | 5,416 |
| Maryland | 5,410 |
| Louisiana | 5,384 |
| Missouri | 5,366 |
| Indiana | 5,172 |
| Colorado | 5,089 |
| Kentucky | 4,538 |
| Mississippi | 4,328 |
| Wisconsin | 4,009 |
| New Jersey | 3,960 |
| Nevada | 3,621 |
| Minnesota | 3,442 |
| Arkansas | 3,312 |
| Oregon | 3,140 |
| Massachusetts | 3,007 |
| Iowa | 2,577 |
| Kansas | 2,312 |
| New Mexico | 2,221 |
| Hawaii | 2,142 |
| West Virginia | 1,930 |
| Nebraska | 1,826 |
| Utah | 1,642 |
| Idaho | 1,635 |
| Connecticut | 1,629 |
| Maine | 1,399 |
| Montana | 1,289 |
| South Dakota | 1,080 |
| New Hampshire | 985 |
| Wyoming | 915 |
| Delaware | 910 |
| Alaska | 902 |
| North Dakota | 789 |
| Rhode Island | 675 |
| Vermont | 370 |
Pending and Backlogged VA Claims by State 2024
According the VBA data as of May 2024, here’s the total number of pending and backlogged claims by state.
- A pending claim “includes VA disability compensation and VA pension claims received by VA that normally require a rating decision.”
- A backlogged claim is a “VA disability claim that requires a rating decision but has been pending for more than 125 days since receipt without a decision.”
| State | Number of Pending Claims | Number of Backlogged Claims |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 22,433 | 7,426 |
| Alaska | 3,155 | 902 |
| Arizona | 21,305 | 6,976 |
| Arkansas | 10,223 | 3,312 |
| California | 68,770 | 20,357 |
| Colorado | 16,676 | 5,089 |
| Connecticut | 5,912 | 1,629 |
| Delaware | 3,458 | 910 |
| Florida | 85,873 | 25,676 |
| Georgia | 44,047 | 14,086 |
| Hawaii | 5,965 | 2,142 |
| Idaho | 5,716 | 1,635 |
| Illinois | 25,275 | 7,229 |
| Indiana | 19,474 | 5,172 |
| Iowa | 7,574 | 2,577 |
| Kansas | 7,275 | 2,312 |
| Kentucky | 13,315 | 4,538 |
| Louisiana | 16,626 | 5,384 |
| Maine | 5,043 | 1,399 |
| Maryland | 21,288 | 5,410 |
| Massachusetts | 10,977 | 3,007 |
| Michigan | 22,963 | 6,089 |
| Minnesota | 11,294 | 3,442 |
| Mississippi | 12,619 | 4,328 |
| Missouri | 19,705 | 5,366 |
| Montana | 3,928 | 1,289 |
| Nebraska | 6,015 | 1,826 |
| Nevada | 11,921 | 3,621 |
| New Hampshire | 3,530 | 985 |
| New Jersey | 13,685 | 3,960 |
| New Mexico | 6,366 | 2,221 |
| New York | 25,971 | 7,081 |
| North Carolina | 40,730 | 12,169 |
| North Dakota | 2,082 | 789 |
| Ohio | 31,527 | 8,263 |
| Oklahoma | 16,701 | 5,416 |
| Oregon | 9,656 | 3,140 |
| Pennsylvania | 30,351 | 8,194 |
| Rhode Island | 2,626 | 675 |
| South Carolina | 24,120 | 7,226 |
| South Dakota | 3,268 | 1,080 |
| Tennessee | 22,526 | 6,757 |
| Texas | 103,096 | 31,603 |
| Utah | 5,252 | 1,642 |
| Vermont | 1,215 | 370 |
| Virginia | 36,092 | 11,298 |
| Washington | 18,931 | 6,213 |
| West Virginia | 5,837 | 1,930 |
| Wisconsin | 14,971 | 4,009 |
| Wyoming | 2,522 | 915 |
Conclusion and Wrap-Up
There’s positive movement in the processing of VA disability claims in all 50 states as claims adjudicators work to further decrease the backlog of claims.
The number of “backlogged” claims, which reached a 10-year peak at 417,855 in January 2024, has since decreased by 27% to 307,030 as of May 2024.
Similarly, “pending” claims also saw a significant reduction; after hitting a decade high of 1,098,340 in November 2023, they’ve fallen by 13% to 956,777 by May 2024.
This progress, made within just the past six months, signifies substantial progress in tackling the issues surrounding VA claims processing.
About the Author
Brian Reese
Brian Reese is one of the top VA disability benefits experts in the world and bestselling author of You Deserve It: The Definitive Guide to Getting the Veteran Benefits You’ve Earned (Second Edition).
Brian’s frustration with the VA claim process led him to create VA Claims Insider, which provides disabled veterans with tips, strategies, and lessons learned to win their VA disability compensation claim, faster, even if they’ve already filed, been denied, gave up, or don’t know where to start.
As the founder of VA Claims Insider and CEO of Military Disability Made Easy, he has helped serve more than 10 million military members and veterans since 2013 through free online educational resources.
He is a former active duty Air Force officer with extensive experience leading hundreds of individuals and multi-functional teams in challenging international environments, including a combat tour to Afghanistan in 2011 supporting Operation ENDURING FREEDOM.
Brian is a Distinguished Graduate of Management from the United States Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, CO, and he holds an MBA from Oklahoma State University’s Spears School of Business, Stillwater, OK, where he was a National Honor Scholar (Top 1% of Graduate School class).
