VA plans to add 2,000 workers in 2027 to handle surge in claims

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs expects to bring on 2,000 more employees in fiscal year 2027 as it prepares for a sharp rise in benefits claims over the coming years.

“VA is putting veterans first by making major improvements in claims processing volume, speed and accuracy,” VA Secretary Doug Collins said in a statement. “These new hires will help continue this landmark progress.”

The release does not say whether the new positions are intended to replace any of the 30,000 employees who accepted voluntary leave in 2025.

More than 13,000 VA employees are currently assigned to claims processing, according to the department. The agency handled more than 3 million compensation and pension claims in fiscal year 2026, an 80% increase from four years earlier. It approved 60.1% of those claims and paid out more than $207 billion.

The VA says the backlog of veterans awaiting benefits has fallen by more than 70% since the second Trump administration began, even as submissions increased, thanks to record claims-processing gains.

Officials also said disability claims processing time has been cut nearly in half, dropping from an average of 141 days at the start of fiscal year 2025 to 76 days by September 2026.

Still, some other decisions made during the second Trump administration have drawn criticism, including the move not to renew the department’s collective bargaining agreement with the American Federation of Government Employees.

That dispute, which affects about 320,000 unionized employees, remains tied up in court. By mid-October, the VA said the contract had expired.

AFGE has said it will “take every action to defend our contract.” VA officials contend the union agreements work against employees’ interests and that the funds would be better spent supporting veterans in other ways.