San Diego veterans who file disability claims receive responses from the Department of Veterans Affairs within an average of 283 days, a relatively shorter time period than veterans across the nation face.
The national average is 318 days, according to updated data released today by the Center for Investigative Reporting.
CIR reporter Aaron Glantz said despite its comparatively lower figures, San Diego is no exception to the national backlog.
"San Diego vets are stuck with the same problems as vets all over the country," Glantz said.
The San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce reported that San Diego County's veteran resident population is the third largest in the nation, behind Los Angeles County and Maricopa County, Ariz.
Of the VA regional offices containing the five cities topping the list for most veterans, San Diego holds the shortest processing time for approved claims. However, this processing time has more than tripled since 2009. Nearly 28,500 veteran-disability claims are currently pending.
Last Thursday, House Democrats revealed plans to introduce 10 bills to alleviate the VA disability claims backlog. That came a week after the VA announced efforts to expedite thousands of claims.
