Appeal Yields $275K in Delayed IU Compensation 

An appeal can sometimes resolve a claim, but the process takes time. For example, a U.S. Army veteran from Florida filed his initial claim in 2014, seeking compensation for individual unemployability (IU) and PTSD; the VA denied the IU portion of the claim and granted a 70% rating for PTSD. 

A Vietnam Veterans of America service office appealed at the local level; the IU claim was again denied. Veteran service officers (VSOs) took the case to the Board of Veterans Appeals (BVA) — an office with expected backlogs of up to 2,200 days — in 2016.  

VSOs were able to show that the VA had erred in its original decision. At new hearings in 2025, VA and BVA agreed that an error had occurred, awarding the veteran $275,000 in back pay from a the effective date of May 2014. The tax-exempt pay was life-changing for the veteran and his family.

Contact a VVA Veteran Service Officer to assist with your claim in states that have a benefits program here, or search for a VSO from another organization through the VA’s website in states where we do not. Enter your ZIP code or city and state, and you’ll see which VSOs serve your area.