The Department of Veterans Affairs reported in late April that the backlog of pending disability claims exceeded 300,000 cases, the highest level since 2022. VA defines a claim as backlogged once it has been pending more than 125 days. The post-PACT Act peak was 425,000 in mid-2023. By mid-2025 the backlog had been pushed down to roughly 220,000. It has climbed by more than a third over the last ten months.
The PACT Act, signed in 2022, expanded presumptive eligibility for veterans exposed to burn pits, Agent Orange, and other toxins. VA has received more than 2.6 million PACT-related claims since the law took effect, well above the original CBO projection. To absorb the surge, VBA’s claims-processing workforce was expanded by roughly 4,500 positions in FY23 and FY24. Since the start of FY26, a hiring pause tied to the continuing resolution and ordinary attrition have reduced that workforce by about 1,800 positions, according to a VA inspector general memo dated April 14.
The processing workforce reduction tracks the backlog increase closely. Average days to complete a claim, a separate metric VA reports monthly, climbed from 119 days in October 2025 to 148 days in April. The American Legion and the VFW have both filed formal statements with the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee asking Congress to restore the hiring authority in the next appropriations cycle. Military Times, Stars and Stripes, and the AP have all reported on the deterioration.
The PACT Act itself remains broadly popular in both chambers. The bottleneck is not the underlying benefit; it is funding for the people who adjudicate it. The administration’s FY26 budget request included $186 million for additional VBA staffing. The version of the CR currently keeping the government open contains no comparable line. The House and Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committees have each marked up supplemental language that would restore the funding. Neither bill has reached the floor.
The next scheduled committee markup on VA appropriations is in early June. Members of both committees who have spoken publicly about supporting veterans have a recorded vote coming on whether to fund the staffing the agency has formally requested. The backlog will keep growing in the interim at roughly 8,000 cases a month, based on current intake and completion rates.