The number of veterans waiting for Department of Veterans Affairs compensation and benefits dropped by more than 57 percent since the start of the second Trump administration, the department claims.
A VA claim for compensation or pension is considered backlogged once it has been pending for more than 125 days, and since Jan. 20, the number of backlogged claims has dropped from 264,717 to 112,353, according to a Nov. 18 VA release.
“Under President Trump, VA is constantly raising the bar for customer service and convenience,” Secretary Doug Collins said. “Our record claims processing productivity is proof these efforts are working. Veterans deserve fast and accurate claims decisions, and we look forward to continuing to deliver amazing results to those who have worn the uniform.”
According to the department, the backlog reduction was the result of a series of record-breaking production milestones. VA noted that it processed an all-time high of 3,001,734 disability compensation and pension claims in fiscal year 2025 — shattering the previous record of 2.49 million set in FY 2024.
It also processed one million disability claims by Feb. 20 - faster than ever before in a given fiscal year. VA’s single most productive claims processing day was May 29, when 15,364 claims were processed. VA processed the highest number of claims in a month in history, with 300,799 claims processed in July.
In addition, they say that 12-month claims processing accuracy also improved to 93.5 percent in September 2025, up from 91.6 percent in October 2024.
VA’s record-breaking FY 2025 performance also included the distribution of $195 billion in compensation and pension benefit payments to more than 6.9 million veterans and survivors.
Reach Julia LeDoux at Julia@connectingvets.com.