VA disability claims backlog drops under 100k under Trump: Secretary Collins

The Department of Veterans Affairs announced that the backlog of VA disability compensation and pension claims has been “consistently” below 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 with all the benefits they have earned as quickly and easily as possible,” Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins said in a press release. he said.

The milestone means the department has reduced the backlog of veterans waiting for VA benefits by 63% since Trump returned to office in January 2025, after increasing by 24% under the Biden administration, according to the statement.

The department said reducing backlogs of claims was an urgent priority for Collins.

The backlog of claims during the Biden administration was well over 100,000 from 2021 to 2024 and stood at 264,717 when Trump returned to office. During Trump’s first administration, the department reached its lowest disability claim backlog on Dec. 21, 2019, with 64,783 claims.

A VA claim for compensation or pension is considered backlogged if it remains pending in the claims inventory for more than 125 days, the department said.

VA WILL RESTORE EDUCATION BENEFITS ELIGIBILITY FOR VETERANS DISPOSED UNDER BIDEN ERA COVID VACCINE REQUIREMENT

Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins said the VA is providing veterans, families, caregivers and survivors “all the benefits they have earned as quickly and easily as possible.” (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

In 2013, 70% of record requests were older than 125 days. Today, that figure has dropped to just 17%, according to the ministry.

“VA’s claims processing productivity is the highest it has ever been, and we look forward to continuing to provide record levels of service to Veterans and VA beneficiaries,” Collins said in the release.

The Department of Veterans Affairs said it has reduced the backlog of veterans waiting for VA benefits by 63% since President Donald Trump returned to office in January of last year. (ALASTAIR PIKE/AFP via Getty Images)

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD FOX NEWS APPLICATION

The department said it was one of many accomplishments across the country during Trump’s second term, including opening more than 30 new VA healthcare facilities, expanding veterans’ access to health care and permanently housing more than 50,000 homeless veterans in fiscal 2025. This was the highest total in seven years.

Collins wrote of X: “We’re not just talking about the American Dream; we’re making it more accessible to the heroes who defend it.”

Related Article