WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced today that it has processed more than two million disability benefits claims for Veterans in fiscal year 2026 as of June 1, 2026, marking the fastest processing pace in the agency’s history.
This achievement breaks the prior record set in fiscal year 2025, when the VA hit the two-million mark in late June. By the end of FY25, the agency had completed more than three million claims—the highest volume ever recorded. So far in FY26, the VA has already awarded more than $124 billion in compensation and pension benefits to Veterans and their survivors.
“Putting Veterans first means making VA benefits faster, better, and more convenient, and under President Trump, that’s exactly what we’re doing,” said VA Secretary Doug Collins.
“The average time to complete a decision was 78.6 days at the end of May 2026, compared to 141.5 days on Jan. 20, 2025.”
Dramatic Reduction in the Claims Backlog
Since January 20, 2025, the VA has reduced the backlog of Veterans waiting for benefits by 72%, reversing a 24% increase seen during the previous administration. In February 2026, the backlog dropped below 100,000 claims for the first time since 2020, and it has successfully remained under 75,000 for more than a month.
Alongside clearing the backlog, the VA has cut disability claim processing times nearly in half. Furthermore, quality control has risen with the speed; claims processing accuracy has improved despite the historic workload, currently sitting above 94%—the highest rate seen in two years.
The reduction of the claims backlog is part of a broader push by the administration to optimize VA infrastructure and healthcare delivery. Additional performance metrics released by the VA include:
- Facility Expansion: The VA has opened 36 new healthcare facilities since January 20, 2025, significantly expanding local access for Veterans nationwide.
- Increased Appointments: The agency completed an all-time high of 82,083,918 direct care appointments in FY 25, a 4.1% increase from FY 24.
- Flexible Scheduling: Veterans were offered more than 2.8 million appointments outside of normal operating hours to provide more convenient, timely care options.
- Combating Homelessness: The VA permanently housed 51,936 homeless Veterans nationwide in FY 25, marking the highest total in seven years.
For Veterans seeking Assistance:
Veterans with questions regarding their healthcare, disability benefits, or GI Bill status can submit inquiries, updates, and documents online.
- Online Support: Connect with representatives securely online through the Ask VA portal.
- VA Chatbot: Veterans can utilize the automated VA chatbot to navigate VA.gov. While the chatbot does not connect directly to a live agent, it is optimized to direct users to the exact resources needed for common questions.
