Posted on 02/26/2026 2:53:53 AM PST by Libloather
The Department of Veterans Affairs announced that the backlog of VA disability compensation and pension benefit claims is "consistently" under 100,000 for the first time since 2020.
The last time the backlog was this low was in May 2020, during President Donald Trump's first term in the White House.
"Under President Trump, VA is providing Veterans, families, caregivers and survivors all of the benefits they have earned as quickly and conveniently as possible," Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins said in a news release.
This milestone means the department has now slashed the backlog of veterans waiting for VA benefits by 63% since Trump returned to office in January 2025 after it rose 24% under the Biden administration, according to the release.
The department said that reducing the claims backlog has been an urgent priority for Collins.
The claims backlog was well above 100,000 from 2021 to 2024 during the Biden administration and was at 264,717 when Trump returned to office. During Trump's first administration, the department reached the lowest disability claims backlog on Dec. 21, 2019, when it was at 64,783 claims.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
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Love My VA.
My neighbor is an 85-year-old widower, and a vet. He is so happy with the care he receives from the VA here in east TN. He wasn’t aware of how many services they offer until he hired a live-in caregiver who is a bulldog about finding ways to help (and his finances). She discovered the VA.
I like my local VA branch but otherwise not so much. My last claim took over 2010 days i.e. over 5 and a half years to be processed and finally granted and I’m 3 months after the grant waiting on results. That is asinine at best and filed under the AMA.
I’m just on the medical end here in Northern Arizona. Started just over a year ago. Never considered it since the 70’s.
Now that I retired the Medical issues just exploded. The Facility is an old Army Cavalry Outpost.
Some Old Warhorses still inhabit the place
.
Good Luck Moving forward FRiend.
I had a claim languishing in the VA bureaucracy for the entire Biden term. It was settled in July 2025 with follow ups in Nov and Jan.
I do believe that Trump’s Administration lit a fire under these gov’t workers who may have been a little too secure in their jobs.
While sometimes the wait for an appointment can be aggravating, I have nearly always received the care that I need from the VA.
My local VA is really good too.
My claim going on three years was settled last week.
5.56mm
Why does the VA even exist. Why can’t Veterans just use the same health care system the rest of use?
The VA has been good to me, very good.
VA is the best medical care I’ve had in life.
Extraordinary.
The teaching professor of Orthopedics at Stanford replaced my knee. It doesn’t get any better than that.
Norcal.
“Why can’t Veterans just use the same health care system the rest of use?”
It’s not as good. And Vets with service connected ailments deserve the best care.
Wait. A 100,000 patient backlog is BETTER??? Then what are people bitchin’ about????
I don’t see anyone bitching.
Every time I go to a VA facility, everyone agrees it’s platinum care.
The backlog is for new claims and enhanced claims. Most of them are enjoying VA care while such are in process.
Every claim I ever submitted was awarded within 10 weeks.
Oh. I see. So veterans are getting the care but the hospitals providing the care are not getting the money right away. Got it.
So who is delayed from being paid? The doctors working in the hospitals or the bureaucrats working at the VA?
” So veterans are getting the care but the hospitals providing the care are not getting the money right away. Got it.”
That’s not it at all.
The now <100k backlog is for Disability Claims. Many, if not most of those are by Vets who already have some disability and are claiming a new one, or looking to enhance the level of their current one.
There is no such backlog for care. That’s a machine that keeps chugging along with purpose.
And most of that care is delivered at VA healthcare facilities.
And it’s the most complete and expensive care in the country. By far.
There is no way that level of care could be delivered to the general population.
I’m just trying to figure out who is being denied the money.
Vets who have not yet been awarded a new claim or an enhancement suffer a delay in payment...but when/if finally approved they get compensation from the time the claim was submitted until finally approved.
Claims get denied too.
VA medical facilities are wallering in money. They have all the latest advanced diagnostic machines and use them freely.
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