VA processes 3 million disability benefits claims in record time – again

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs processed more than three million disability benefits claims for Veterans in fiscal year 2026 as of Sept. 18, 2026, faster than ever before.

The prior record was set by the second Trump Administration in FY 2025, when VA completed a record high 3.001 million claims at the very end of the fiscal year - a record VA has already surpassed this year.

With just a week left before FY 2026 ends, VA has already awarded more than $207 billion in compensation and pension benefits to Veterans and survivors.

Since President Trump took office Jan. 20, 2025, VA has reduced the backlog of Veterans waiting for VA benefits by more than 70%, after it increased 24% under the Biden Administration.

VA also cut disability claim processing times nearly in half. The average time to complete a decision was 75.6 days in September 2026, compared to 141.5 days on Jan. 20, 2025. VA has achieved this reduction even as it's processing more claims than it did under the Biden Administration.

Claims processing accuracy has improved despite the increased workload and is currently 94% - the highest rate in two years. Additionally, VBA continues to grant more than 60% of the claims submitted by Veterans, and only about 3% of VBA's decisions are reviewed by the Board of Veterans' Appeals.

"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 timely processing of Veteran benefits claims is just one of several ways the Trump Administration is making VA work better for Veterans. VA has:

• Enrolled more than 270,000 new Veterans in VA healthcare in 2026.
• Opened 41 new VA healthcare facilities since Jan. 20, 2025, expanding healthcare access for Veterans around the country.
• Completed a record high 82,083,918 direct care appointments in FY 2025, up 4.1% from FY 2024.
• Completed a record high 59,989,662 community care appointments in FY 2025, up 12% from FY 2024.
• Offered Veterans more than 3.2 million appointments outside of normal operating hours since Jan. 20, 2025, giving Veterans more timely and convenient options for care.