Originally published: 2025-11-18T16:00:00+00:00. Historical source article: benefits, rules, amounts and deadlines may have changed. Check the official source for current information.
WASHINGTON — The Department of Veterans Affairs today announced that the backlog of Veterans waiting for VA compensation and pension benefits has dropped by more than 57% since the start of the second Trump Administration.
A VA claim for compensation or pension is considered backlogged once it has been pending for more than 125 days. Since President Trump was inaugurated Jan. 20, the backlog has dropped from 264,717 to 112,353, a 57% reduction.
The backlog reduction VA announced today was made possible through a series of record-breaking production milestones, including:
- VA 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.
- VA processed one million disability claims by Feb. 20 — faster than ever before in a given fiscal year.
- VA had its single most productive claims processing day, May 29, with 15,364 claims processed.
- In July, VA processed the highest number of claims in a month in history, with 300,799 claims processed.
- 12-month claims processing accuracy also improved to 93.5% in September 2025, up from 91.6% in October 2024.
VA’s record-breaking FY 2025 performance also included distributing $195 billion in compensation and pension benefit payments to more than 6.9 million Veterans and survivors.
“Under President Trump, VA is constantly raising the bar for customer service and convenience,” said VA Secretary Doug Collins. “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.”
Backlog Background Info
- The Biden Administration oversaw a 24% increase in the backlog of Veterans waiting for VA benefits, from 213,189 on Jan. 20, 2021, to 264,717 on Jan. 20, 2025.
- VA’s backlog reached its highest point ever of 611,000 in March of 2013.
- VA achieved its lowest backlog ever of 64,738 in December of 2019.
Source: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Its Veterans is an independent publication and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. government.
