The backlogs in that category are huge.
The backlogs are worst in some states sending the most troops, and discrepancies exist in pay levels.
The backlogs of work — benefits claims, passport applications, loan requests — then slowed down the government when employees returned, making them less efficient, which has a quantifiable cost.
The backlogs portend solid growth in coming quarters, and suggest to some economists that the United States could weather the European debt crisis relatively unscathed after all.
The backlogs identified by The New York Times in its earlier coverage occur at the appeals stage, which is directly administered by the Social Security Administration.
The backlogs of work in manufacturing increased the fastest in 11 years, for example, an indication that stronger manufacturing output in the coming months is likely.
The backlogs swelled because of a longstanding mismatch in immigration law between the number of visas available and the much larger number of foreigners who qualify for them, especially those applying based on family ties to American citizens and permanent residents.
The backlogs have been known about for some time, but federal health officials at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services have given six states (Alaska, California, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri and Tennessee) until today to provide plans on just how they're going to resolve the huge stacks of pending applications.
The backlogs enhanced the visualization of the progress of the product.
The backlogs included people waiting a decade to hear if their partner had permission to live in the UK.
As the backlogs grow, they create new problems.
