WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced today that it processed more than two million disability benefits claims for Veterans in fiscal year 2026 as of June 1, 2026, faster than ever before.
The prior record was set by the second Trump Administration in FY 2025, when VA hit the 2 million mark in late June. By the end of FY25, VA had completed more than 3 million claims, the most in history. VA has already awarded more than $124 billion in compensation and pension benefits to Veterans and survivors in FY26.
Since President Trump took office Jan. 20, 2025, VA has reduced the backlog of Veterans waiting for VA benefits by 72%, after it increased 24% under the Biden Administration. In February 2026, the backlog fell to less than 100,000 claims for the first time since 2020, and it has been below 75,000 for more than a month.
VA has also cut disability claim processing times nearly in half. 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. VA has achieved this reduction even as it’s processing more number claims than it did under the Biden Administration.
Claims processing accuracy has improved despite the increased workload and is currently above 94% — the highest rate in two years.
“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.
Reducing the backlog of Veterans waiting for benefits is just one of several ways the Trump Administration is making VA work better for Veterans. Among other improvements, VA has:
- Opened 36 new VA health care facilities since Jan. 20, 2025, expanding health care access for Veterans around the country.
- Completed an all-time high of 82,083,918 direct care appointments in FY 2025, up 4.1% from FY 2024.
- Offered Veterans more than 2.8 million appointments outside of normal operating hours, giving Veterans more timely and convenient options for care.
- Permanently housed 51,936 homeless Veterans across the country in FY 2025, the highest total in seven years.
Reporters and media outlets with questions or comments should contact the Office of Media Relations at vapublicaffairs@va.gov
Veterans with questions about their health care and benefits (including GI Bill). Questions, updates and documents can be submitted online.
Veterans can also use our chatbot to get information about VA benefits and services. The chatbot won’t connect you with a person, but it can show you where to go on VA.gov to find answers to some common questions.
Subscribe today to receive these news releases in your inbox.
More from the Press Room
News Releases
VA and HHS sign memorandum of understanding to ensure the effective implementation of President Trump’s Executive Order on Accelerating Medical Treatments for Serious Mental Illness.
News Releases
Since the start of 2026, more than 200,000 Veterans have enrolled in VA healthcare.
News Releases
VA and Steak ‘n Shake team to promote VA benefits and services and make it easier for Veterans to become owner-operators of Steak ‘n Shake franchises.
