11/09/2025 Veterans’ benefits and healthcare from the past 21 days:

Here are several recent updates (past ~21 days) on benefits and healthcare for veterans.

• Department of Veterans Affairs announced that it has processed more than 2 million disability claims in the current fiscal year, reaching the mark faster than ever before. The American Legion+1

• The VA reported that the backlog of disability claims (claims pending more than the threshold) has dropped to under 200,000 for the first time since March 2023. VA News+1

• A federal appeals court unanimously rejected a VA request to delay rulings on veterans’ benefits claims amid the government shutdown, signaling limits on the agency’s ability to pause adjudications. The Guardian

• An investigative report criticized as misleading by veterans-groups suggested “rampant” fraud in the VA disability system, but advocates counter that the core issue remains bureaucratic delays rather than broad abuse. The Guardian+1

• Due to the ongoing federal government shutdown, nearly 37,000 VA employees are either furloughed or working without pay, and several VA services (GI Bill hotline, certain benefits offices, transition briefings) are disrupted. nypost.com