U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs tops 2 million disability claims processed in fiscal 2026

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VA processes 2M disability claims

Highlights

Department of Veterans Affairs processed over 2 million disability claims by June 1, 2026, outpacing fiscal 2025's late-June threshold.
Claims processing accuracy surpassed 94%, average decision time dropped to 78.6 days by May 2026 from 141.5 days in January 2025.
Claims backlog fell 72% since January 2025, dropping below 75,000 in 2026, while $124 billion in benefits were awarded in FY26.

Claims pace accelerates in fiscal 2026

As reported by the VA News, the agency reached the 2 million-claim mark by June 1, 2026, setting a faster pace than fiscal 2025, when it hit that level in late June. By the end of FY25, the department had completed more than 3 million claims, which it says was the highest total on record.

The agency says it has already awarded more than $124 billion in compensation and pension benefits in FY26. VA Secretary Doug Collins says the administration is making benefits delivery faster, better and more convenient for veterans.

VA says claims processing accuracy is currently above 94%, which it describes as the highest rate in two years. The average time to complete a decision stands at 78.6 days at the end of May 2026, compared with 141.5 days on Jan. 20, 2025.

Backlog reduction and broader service targets

Since President Trump took office on Jan. 20, 2025, the department says the backlog of veterans waiting for benefits has fallen 72%, after rising 24% under the Biden administration. It says the backlog dropped below 100,000 claims in February 2026 for the first time since 2020 and has remained below 75,000 for more than a month.

The department also points to wider operational gains across veterans' services. It says it has opened 36 new VA health care facilities since Jan. 20, 2025, completed a record 82,083,918 direct care appointments in FY25, offered more than 2.8 million appointments outside normal operating hours, and permanently housed 51,936 homeless veterans in FY25, the highest total in seven years.

Our earlier article on the House Appropriations Committee’s FY27 Defense Appropriations Bill outlined a $1.072 trillion discretionary proposal that boosts funding for munitions, hypersonic weapons, defense innovation and military pay. It also detailed policy provisions tied to administration priorities, including changes affecting border and counter-drug efforts and limits on certain federal programs as the FY27 appropriations process moves toward markup.

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