Yes, part of it is registering vets into the system. The other part is a combination of the enormous number of claims and enormous amount of documentation requi

Yes, part of it is registering vets into the system. The other part is a combination of the enormous number of claims and enormous amount of documentation required. As a physician, I worked in C&P (compensation and pension) clinics for a number of years at the VA, as a consultant. The amount of documentation required is astronomical, likely because vets are being compensated for their injuries with taxpayer dollars. Fair enough, but a physician providing these services could find other ways to use their time productively (for themselves). Then there's the volume. You don't just see vets who have lost an arm or a leg or have suffered traumatic brain or spinal cord injuries. You also see the guys who may have sprained a knee or ankle playing basketball in their free time but while they were officially on duty. Throw that into the mix, and you have too many people to examine so thoroughly. They tried to fix this by contracting with an agency and have vets come into a private medical office instead of doctors going to the VA, my partner did this for a while, but the reimbursement offered for the amount of paperwork required ultimately made it impractical. To fix it: 1) screen vets better, some are clearly more severely injured than others 2) better compensate providers who see all these vets and complete all the necessary documentation. The screening part is tricky though, as it can quickly get political.