San Diego
Military News

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs says it processed more than 3 million disability benefits claims nationwide in fiscal year 2026, as of Sept. 18, according to a VA press release. The agency says this surpasses the previous record of about 3.001 million claims set in fiscal year 2025.

VA reports it has awarded more than $207 billion in compensation and pension benefits to veterans and survivors so far this fiscal year. The agency says the average time to complete a disability claim decision fell to 75.6 days in September 2026, down from 141.5 days in January 2025, and that claims-processing accuracy is now 94 percent, which VA calls the highest rate in two years. VA also says it grants more than 60 percent of claims filed and that about 3 percent of decisions are appealed to the Board of Veterans' Appeals.

VA Secretary Doug Collins is quoted in the release saying the department is working to make "VA benefits faster, better and more convenient" under the Trump administration. VA's release frames these figures as an improvement over the prior administration, stating the claims backlog grew 24 percent before Jan. 20, 2025, and has since fallen more than 70 percent. Those comparisons come directly from VA's own release; this report has not independently verified the backlog or prior-year timing figures VA cites.

For veterans living in San Diego, the numbers describe a national trend, not confirmed local performance. VA's release does not break out data for San Diego or any specific regional office, so there is no way from this report alone to know whether local wait times, accuracy rates or backlog figures match the national numbers VA is reporting. The release also does not describe any change to who qualifies for benefits, how to file a claim, or individual case handling.

VA's release additionally states it enrolled more than 270,000 new veterans in VA healthcare nationwide this year and opened 41 new VA healthcare facilities since January 2025, though the release does not identify the locations of those new facilities.