WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Department of Veterans Affairs said it has eliminated the entire backlog of CHAMPVA applications, ending years of delays for a program that provides health care coverage to more than 900,000 qualifying spouses, dependents, survivors, and caregivers of Veterans.
According to the agency, more than 70,000 applications were pending when President Donald Trump took office, with some applicants waiting more than 150 days for action. VA officials said that as of October, the backlog has been reduced to zero, and new applications are now handled within days. The agency receives roughly 4,000 applications per week and reports capacity to process more than it takes in.
VA also said it has sharply reduced the number of CHAMPVA appeals. More than 20,000 appeals were pending under the previous administration, according to the department. That number has fallen to about 1,000 and continues to decline.
Officials credited a two-part strategy rolled out by VA Secretary Doug Collins: paying overtime to application processors to eliminate the existing backlog and implementing process engineering and automation to maintain faster turnaround. VA expects additional automation improvements in December as it transitions to a more advanced processing system.
More than 90 percent of medical services and pharmacy claims are now processed electronically within days, the agency said.
“Veterans around the country knew it was taking far too long to process CHAMPVA applications, and that meant delayed coverage for their loved ones,” Collins said. “We listened, and now the application backlog that caused so many unnecessary delays has been wiped out.”
The department outlined other operational changes underway, including increased disability claims processing, expanded clinic access, additional off-hours medical appointments, and new infrastructure investments. VA reported that more than three million disability claims were processed in fiscal year 2025, a record level.
The agency also highlighted efforts to house homeless Veterans, expand access to non-VA care, deploy updated electronic health record systems, and pursue billing recoveries in partnership with federal health programs. VA said workforce and administrative changes have been made to improve efficiency, including returning employees to in-person work and redirecting funds previously spent on union contracts.
Officials said these steps are part of a broader push to modernize operations and improve service delivery across the department.
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