If you have a VA disability claim in the system, the holiday season from Thanksgiving to New Year’s can be a time of high anxiety. You’re watching your va claim status daily, hoping for a pre-holiday approval, but you’re also worried about slowdowns.
Will your claim just sit there for six weeks? Here’s what to expect when tracking your claim during the holidays.
Expect Delays (and Be Patient)
The VA, like all government agencies, experiences slowdowns during the holidays. Fewer employees are on duty due to “use-or-lose” leave, which can slow down every stage of the process, from initial review to final authorization.
The bad news: A claim that enters the “Pending Decision Approval” phase on December 20th might sit there until the first week of January.
The good news: Your claim isn’t lost. It’s just in a queue, and the work will pick back up in January. Your place in line is secure.
Holiday C&P Exam Scheduling
One part of your claim that might not slow down as much is the C&P exam. The VA outsources most of these exams to private contractors (like VES, QTC, and LHI). These companies often work through the holidays (except for Thanksgiving and Christmas Day) to clear their own backlogs.
- Be Ready: Don’t assume you won’t get a call. Keep your phone on you and check your mail, as you may be asked to schedule an exam in late November or December.
- Don’t Miss It: Missing a C&P exam is one of the fastest ways to get your claim denied. If they schedule you, make every effort to be there.
Understanding Key Statuses During the Slowdown
While how often does va update claim status is a common question, the answer during the holidays is “less often.” Here’s what to look for on VA.gov:
- Gathering of Evidence: This is where your claim will spend the most time. If the VA needs records from a private doctor, just know that doctor’s office is also busy and short-staffed during the holidays. This step will likely be extended.
- Pending Decision Approval: This is the final quality check after a rater has made a decision. It’s the last step before “Preparation for Notification.” A claim that hits this stage right before a holiday weekend will almost certainly be delayed until the following work week.
What to Do: The best thing you can do is to be patient. Check the status once a week, not four times a day. Enjoy your holiday, and know that the system will spin back up. Our medical evaluations and nexus letters are based solely on clinical judgment to accurately document symptoms and functional limitations as part of your clinical record.