This Veterans Day, there is welcome news for America’s veterans. Under VA Secretary Doug Collins, significant reforms are changing how veterans access the care and benefits they have earned.
Play this “Two Truths and a Lie” game to see how much has changed.
A. More than 300,000 veterans have enrolled in VA healthcare in 2026 alone.
B. Despite promises to streamline benefits, the VA’s disability claims backlog continues to grow.
C. Veterans have greater access to healthcare options, including expanded community care and more convenient appointment times.
A. TRUTH! More than 300,000 veterans have enrolled in VA healthcare so far in 2026. This expanded outreach has already generated more than 1.8 million completed or scheduled medical appointments, including over 420,000 mental health appointments. The VA has also opened 43 new healthcare facilities since January 2025, bringing services closer to the veterans who need them. More veterans are connecting with the care they have earned through their service.
B. LIE! The disability claims backlog has actually fallen by more than 70% since January 2025, after increasing 24% during the previous administration. Under Secretary Collins, the VA processed a record 3.11 million disability compensation claims in fiscal year 2026, while reducing average claims processing times by 46%. For veterans who have spent months or even years navigating the benefits system, these improvements matter. Faster decisions mean less uncertainty and more timely access to benefits.
C. TRUTH! Veterans have more options for accessing care. In fiscal year 2025, the VA delivered nearly 60 million community care appointments, a 12% increase over the previous year, alongside a record 82 million appointments within VA facilities. Since January 2025, the department has also offered more than 3.4 million early-morning, evening, and weekend appointments. Improvements to community care scheduling are making it easier to connect eligible veterans with authorized providers outside the VA system. Veterans should have access to quality care that accommodates their lives, rather than having to organize their lives around a bureaucracy.
Bottom Line:
Veterans Day is an opportunity to honor those who served, but honoring their service also demands that we fulfill our obligations to them long after they take off the uniform.
The VA has historically been synonymous with long waits, administrative hurdles, and a system too often disconnected from the needs of the people it was created to serve. The progress under Secretary Collins demonstrates what is possible when accountability, access, and the veteran experience become genuine priorities.
There is more work to do, but these improvements deserve recognition. Our veterans upheld their commitment to this country. Our country must continue to uphold its commitment to them.
To learn more, read the Policy Focus on the military recruitment crisis.