Slow mail service has prompted the Department of Veterans Affairs to extend normal response time limits for most veterans’ benefits letters. The VA says that veterans will not be penalized for not responding in a timely manner to certain notifications such as reporting for a scheduled compensation exam, making an election of benefits, letting the VA know about changes to their situation, or other similar responses. The VA is extending the limits for a normal response time by 90 days for any veteran who received an action letter dated between July 13 and December 31, 2021.
Normally, if you are a veteran drawing disability benefits and don’t respond to VA correspondence by the VA’s deadlines or if you fail to report for a scheduled compensation examination, your benefits can be terminated and in some cases you may be obligated to repay benefits retroactively.
A VA vendor blames the delays in printing and mailing of notification letters on supply chain issues and staffing shortages. The VA said it is working with the Government Publishing Office to address delays. If you are a veteran and have questions about how this response extension might affect you, contact the VA at 800-827-1000.
