Source: U.S. Air Force, Department of War
Why veterans should file now for VA disability claims for 2026
VA disability claims reached a record high in 2026 as processing times fell. Tabak Law CEO Jim Brzezinski urges veterans to claim earned benefits.
Every week, I sit across the table from veterans who waited years, sometimes decades, to file a disability claim. Some assumed they wouldn’t qualify. Others figured the VA was too backed up to bother. If that sounds like you, the numbers coming out of Washington this fall deserve your attention.
The Department of Veterans Affairs processed 3,111,399 disability claims in fiscal year 2026, breaking the record it set in 2025, according to Stars and Stripes. The VA also awarded more than $207 billion in compensation and pension benefits to veterans and survivors this year.
Veterans are filing in record numbers, too. The VA says it received more than 3.15 million claims in fiscal 2026, an 80% jump from fiscal 2022.
To keep up, the VA plans to hire more than 2,000 additional claims processors in fiscal year 2027, adding to a workforce of more than 13,000.
For veterans, that means more trained people reviewing evidence and making decisions on claims like yours.
The VA has also gotten faster. The average time to complete a disability decision fell to 78.6 days at the end of May 2026, down from 141.5 days in January 2025, according to The American Legion. Over that same stretch, the backlog of veterans waiting on benefits dropped 72%.
Honestly, I can’t remember a better moment to begin a claim. The VA has momentum, it is adding staff, and about 60% of claims were approved in fiscal 2026. Every case is different, and no one can promise a result. But waiting rarely helps, because the date you file often affects how far back your benefits can be paid.
Let me say this plainly: nobody is handing you anything. VA disability compensation is payment for injuries and illnesses connected to your service, earned by people who raised their right hand and put their health on the line. Too many veterans I meet feel guilty about filing, as if they’d be taking from someone who needs it more. You wouldn’t be. You’d be claiming what this country promised you when you signed up.
At Tabak Law, we’ve seen this surge firsthand. To keep pace, we’ve opened new offices in Brookfield and downtown Milwaukee, plus a second office in the greater Racine area, so more veterans can sit down with our team close to home.
Whether you’ve never filed, were denied before, or believe your rating is too low, we’d welcome the conversation. Visit tabakattorneys.com to get started with a free case review.
Jim Brzezinski is CEO of Tabak Law, which represents clients in VA disability, Social Security Disability, personal injury and workers’ compensation claims. Every case is different, and prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
