Veterans Affairs is suspending a program that required disability claims processors to work at least 20 hours of overtime per month. On Nov. 7, VA Secretary Eric Shinseki said the program would resume in late January, the Associated Press reported.

The overtime program was instituted to deal with a large backup in the number of veterans waiting over a year for compensation. While backlog had long been a problem in VA, the problem grew worse as more soldiers returned from Iraq and Afghanistan. VA also made it easier for Vietnam veterans to get disability compensation from exposure to Agent Orange. With increased efforts to eliminate the problem, the number of backlogged claims has been reduced from 611,000 in March to about 401,000 just before Veteran's Day, according to The Washington Post.

In an interview, Shinseki said claims processing may slow down slightly during the overtime suspension, but he took measures to prevent burnout in his workforce after the hard work they had put in during the past 230 days. Shinseki said he hoped to rid the department of bottlenecked claims by 2015.

At times allowing staff to work overtime hours is not only unavoidable, but necessary. Employers can keep detailed wage and hour records by using time and attendance software.

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