U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs already has awarded $124 billion in compensation and benefits in fiscal 2026.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced today that it processed more than two million disability benefits claims for veterans in fiscal year 2026 as of June 1, 2026, faster than ever before.
The prior record was set in fiscal 2025, when VA hit the 2 million mark in late June. By the end of fiscal 25, VA had completed more than 3 million claims, the most in history. VA has already awarded more than $124 billion in compensation and pension benefits to veterans and survivors in fiscal 2026.
Since Jan. 20, 2025, VA has reduced the backlog of veterans waiting for VA benefits by 72 percent. In February 2026, the backlog fell to less than 100,000 claims for the first time since 2020, and it has been below 75,000 for more than a month.
VA has also cut disability claim processing times nearly in half. The average time to complete a decision was 78.6 days at the end of May 2026, compared to 141.5 days on Jan. 20, 2025.
Claims processing accuracy has improved despite the increased workload and is currently above 94 percent – the highest rate in two years.
- Veterans Benefits