WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Department of Veterans Affairs has proposed reducing the length and completion time of two of its primary benefits applications, an effort aimed at lowering administrative barriers for veterans and surviving family members seeking compensation and survivor benefits.
The proposed changes would simplify applications for disability compensation and for Dependency and Indemnity Compensation, survivors’ pensions and accrued benefits by removing redundant information and shortening instructions.
Under the proposal, the disability compensation application, VA Form 21-526EZ, would be reduced from 15 pages to five pages. The department estimates the average completion time would fall to 15 minutes from 25 minutes.
The application for Dependency and Indemnity Compensation, survivors’ pensions and accrued benefits, VA Form 21-534EZ, would shrink from 20 pages to seven pages. Estimated completion time would decline to 25 minutes from 40 minutes.
The department published the proposals in June as part of its effort to streamline the claims process.
“No Veteran or surviving family member should face unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles when seeking the benefits they’ve earned,” VA Secretary Doug Collins stated. “These proposals reflect our commitment to putting Veterans and their families first — reducing paperwork, saving time, and making the application process as straightforward as possible.”
The proposed revisions remain under review. If adopted, the simplified forms are expected to become available by December 2026.
Support the local news that supports Chester County. MyChesCo delivers reliable, fact-based reporting and essential community resources—free for everyone. If you value that, click here to become a patron today.