Photo: Alamy
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) under President Donald Trump has made significant progress in addressing the backlog of disability claims that ballooned under the Biden administration, according to documents obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation.
Internal VA data reveals that from October 2023 to March 2024, the final months of the Biden administration, the backlog of unprocessed disability claims surged from 166,000 to 286,000, marking a 72 percent increase in just six months. By contrast, under Trump’s current term, that backlog has shrunk to 196,000 as of April 2025.
“The President is deeply concerned about the backlog of veterans’ claims that he inherited from the Biden administration, and he’s made it a top priority to fix it,” a senior Trump administration official told the Daily Caller. “We have cut 90,000 claims from the backlog since October.”
The Trump team points to a renewed emphasis on in-person work and accountability as keys to the turnaround. During the pandemic and throughout President Biden’s term, the VA embraced remote work, but Trump officials argue this resulted in lower productivity and reduced oversight.
“The last administration let veterans down. They allowed the backlog to explode while failing to take responsibility for fixing the system,” the official said. “President Trump is delivering on his promise to our heroes in uniform.”
Under Trump’s leadership, the VA introduced new performance standards aimed at accelerating claim processing. Officials also cited improvements in training, technology, and transparency as part of a broader effort to improve veterans’ services.
Despite these improvements, challenges remain. A senior VA official acknowledged that “our work is not finished,” noting that the agency still faces thousands of complex legacy appeals and claims related to recent legislative changes, including the PACT Act, which expanded benefits for veterans exposed to toxic substances.
The Biden administration had previously argued that the VA was taking necessary steps to handle an unprecedented volume of claims, citing expanded eligibility criteria and increased outreach efforts. However, critics say those efforts were poorly managed and overwhelmed the system.
The efforts add to recent work by the VA to reduce waste, including an end to DEI efforts that have saved the agency millions of dollars.
