The National Work Queue (NWQ) is the VA's system for distributing claims processing work across all regional offices nationwide. Before the NWQ, claims were processed by the regional office that had jurisdiction over the veteran's home address. This created massive backlogs at some offices while others had capacity sitting idle. The NWQ changed this by routing claims to wherever qualified raters are available.
Under the NWQ, when your claim is ready for a specific action — like a rating decision — it is placed into the national queue. The next available rater with the right qualifications picks up the claim, regardless of which regional office they sit in. A veteran in Texas might have their claim rated by someone in Wisconsin. This means calling your local VARO for a status update may not be productive since they may not have your claim at that moment.
The NWQ has largely succeeded in reducing average processing times by balancing workloads across the system. However, it can create communication challenges. Your claim may change hands multiple times as it moves through different phases. Each hand-off is a potential point where context can be lost.
There are some exceptions to the NWQ. Certain types of claims may be handled at specialized processing centers. For example, some complex claims or claims requiring specific expertise may be routed to particular offices. Appeals to the Board of Veterans Appeals go to the BVA in Washington, DC regardless of where you live.
To navigate the NWQ effectively, track your claim through VA.gov rather than calling the regional office. If you need to communicate about your claim, use the VA's centralized call center or submit inquiries through the IRIS (Inquiry Routing and Information System) portal. Your VSO representative can often access more detailed tracking information than what is available on VA.gov.
Note: This article references sections of the VA's M21-1 Adjudication Procedures Manual. The VA periodically reorganizes the M21-1 and section numbers may have changed since this article was written. For the most current section references, visit the VA's public M21-1 Web Automated Reference Material System (WARMS).