📅 Oct 15, 2026Claims Processing
VA says it finished a record 3.1 million disability claims in fiscal 2026 — here is what that does and does not tell you about yours
VA announced that it completed more than 3.1 million disability compensation claims during fiscal year 2026, which ended September 30. That tops the roughly 3.0 million it finished the year before, and VA says no year before that ever crossed 3 million. VA also reports that its backlog of waiting claims is down more than 70%, that the average time to finish a claim is down 46% since January 2025, and that its decisions were 94% accurate, the best in two years. VA says it grants more than 60% of the claims it decides, and that only about 3% of decisions are appealed to the Board of Veterans' Appeals. It also says it cut the paperwork for veterans and survivors by nearly two-thirds. These are VA's own numbers, and we have not audited them.
Bottom Line: An average is not a promise. Faster VA averages do not tell you how long your claim will take or how it will turn out, and a claim with thin evidence can still be denied quickly. What the numbers do say is that waiting is not a reason to hold off filing. File an Intent to File at VA.gov first, then build your evidence: a current diagnosis, proof of what happened in service, and a doctor's statement linking the two. Check your claim status at VA.gov. If you are denied, you generally have one year to choose a review option. A VA-accredited VSO can help for free.
📅 Oct 15, 2026Compensation Rates
The 2027 raise is set at 3.6% — your VA check should rise December 1, but Congress still has a step to finish
Social Security announced a 3.6% cost-of-living adjustment on Wednesday, October 14. That beats the 2.8% raise for 2026. VA disability compensation follows the same percentage, so the VA number is not set separately. The planned start date is December 1, 2026, and the first higher payment should land on December 31 or in early January 2027. Reports show what it looks like in dollars: a 100% rating with no dependents would go from about $3,939 to about $4,080 a month, a 50% rating from $1,133 to about $1,174, and a 10% rating from $180.42 to $186.92. The raise would cover standard compensation, special monthly compensation, TDIU and survivor DIC payments. One detail to watch: reports describe an annual bill, the Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act, that Congress passes each year to put VA's raise into law. As of Oct. 15 it had not been enacted, and VA had not posted its official 2027 payment tables. Prices were also 3.7% higher in September than a year ago, so the raise may not cover everything.
Bottom Line: You do not need to file anything to get the raise. Treat the dollar figures as estimates until VA posts its official 2027 rate tables at VA.gov. Ignore anyone who asks you to apply, pay a fee or share bank details to get the increase, because that is a scam. A raise only applies to the rating you already have, so if you have an untreated secondary condition or a condition that has worsened, filing now can raise the base the 3.6% is applied to.
Source: Stars and Stripes, Oct. 15, 2026 (as reposted by The American Legion); Newsweek, Oct. 15, 2026 (dollar examples and legislative status)Ask AVOY Navigator AI about this →
📅 VA Health Care · Ongoing through 2027VA Health Care
VA will require signed consent before some psychiatric prescriptions — starting in 2027
VA announced new informed-consent steps for Veterans who take psychotropic medications. Four pieces are coming. First, written education and a signed consent before a Veteran gets an opioid and a benzodiazepine at the same time. Second, written education and a signed consent before antidepressants are prescribed to Veterans under 30. Third, standard patient-education materials for everyone on these medications. Fourth, a documented conversation covering risks, benefits, alternatives and how to stop a drug safely. VA says the rest of 2026 will go to staff training and policy updates, and the requirements begin in 2027. Secretary Doug Collins said Veterans should get as much information as possible when deciding on treatment. The announcement cited no specific regulation, so details could still change.
Bottom Line: Nothing changes for you today. No medication is banned, and no rating, rate or deadline moved. Use the time: keep a current list of your medications, and ask four questions on every new prescription — what is it for, what are the risks, what are the alternatives, and how do I stop it safely. Never stop a medication on your own. Your treatment records can also be strong evidence in a claim, so keep copies. In crisis? Dial 988, then press 1.
📅 Life Insurance · Ongoing through Jan. 2027Life Insurance
VGLI's three-month premium holiday starts in November — but your policy has to stay active to qualify
VA announced the first premium holiday in the history of the Veterans' Group Life Insurance program. VGLI enrollees owe no premiums for three months — November 2026, December 2026 and January 2027 — while keeping full coverage the entire time. More than 457,000 Veterans hold VGLI policies. VA says the average policyholder pays about $110 a month and will save roughly $330, putting the nationwide total near $150 million. Because VGLI premiums rise with age and coverage amount, actual savings vary widely: a Veteran under 30 carrying $500,000 of coverage saves about $90 across the three months, while a Veteran aged 60 to 64 with that same policy saves roughly $1,275. No application is required — VA says eligible policyholders are exempted automatically and notified by letter or email. One condition decides everything: the policy has to be current and in force. A policy that lapses or is cancelled for non-payment before the holiday starts does not qualify. Veterans who already paid ahead for those months can take a credit toward future premiums or request a refund. The waiver covers VGLI only — SGLI, Family SGLI, VALife and Service-Disabled Veterans Insurance are excluded.
Bottom Line: The eligibility test is simple but unforgiving. If you carry VGLI and you are behind on premiums, clear the balance before the end of October — letting the policy lapse is the one way to miss a benefit that is otherwise automatic. If you prepaid through January, contact VA and state whether you want a credit or a refund rather than assuming. And because VA has said no action is required, treat any call, text or email asking you to “apply,” confirm banking details or pay a fee to receive your premium holiday as a scam.
Source: VA News Press Room, "VA announces insurance premium holiday that will save Veterans nearly $150 million," Sept. 16, 2026; Newsweek, Sept. 17, 2026 (eligibility mechanics and rate examples)Ask AVOY Navigator AI about this →
📅 Ratings Watch · OngoingRatings Alert
Sleep apnea and tinnitus ratings are under pressure from two directions — and VA's own year-end target has arrived with no final rule
Two separate efforts could reshape how two of the most commonly claimed service-connected conditions are rated. First, VA has a long-pending proposed rule to overhaul the rating schedule. Under it, the “automatic” 50% sleep apnea rating tied to CPAP use would go away — a case fully controlled by a CPAP could be rated as low as 0% — and tinnitus would lose its standalone 10%, scored instead as a symptom of an underlying condition such as hearing loss. At the same time, many mental health conditions would become easier to rate at 70–100% under a new domain-based system. Second, Congress is working the Take Care of America's Veterans Act (H.R. 9237 / S. 4744), a package of more than 60 veterans bills — including the Major Richard Star Act — that would partly pay for itself by codifying those same tinnitus and sleep apnea changes. The VFW cites a VA analysis putting the reduction at roughly $57 billion over 10 years, affecting up to 1.5 million Veterans, and opposes the financing; The American Legion supports the package, arguing the votes are not there to pass the Star Act alone. On timing: VA told Congress in January it expected final rules for the four remaining body systems by the end of fiscal year 2026, which ends September 30. No final rule has appeared. A VA spokesman has said flatly that “no changes are planned or imminent” and that the proposal needs significant revision, and House Veterans' Affairs Committee staff expect a final rule at the end of 2026 or in early 2027. The Federal Register still labels the ear, nose, throat and audiology document a proposed rule first published in February 2022. VA has finished 11 of the rating schedule's 15 body systems; mental disorders, respiratory, ear, and neurological remain outstanding.
Bottom Line: Nothing is final, and VA has said an existing rating cannot be reduced solely because the schedule changed — a reduction still requires evidence the condition improved. But the direction of travel on sleep apnea and tinnitus is one way: down. If either condition is in your filing plans, getting evaluated and filed sooner is the safer play. An Intent to File at VA.gov locks in today's date and gives you a year to gather evidence. Watch the legislation as closely as the Federal Register — a bill can move faster than a rule, and this rule has already slipped once.
Source: Federal Register — Schedule for Rating Disabilities: Ear, Nose, Throat and Audiology (still labeled a proposed rule); VA Compensation Service testimony to the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, Jan. 14, 2026; Newsweek, Sept. 1, 2026 (VA and committee statements); VFW and American Legion positions on H.R. 9237Ask AVOY Navigator AI about this →
📅 Congress · OngoingCombat-Injured Retirees
The “wounded warrior tax” vote has the signatures — but the benefit you can actually claim today is CRSC
A discharge petition to force a House floor vote on the Major Richard Star Act reached the 218-signature threshold on September 15, when Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina became the final signer. Every House Democrat signed, joined by five Republicans. A discharge petition is a rarely used procedure that pulls a stalled bill out of committee and around House leadership, straight to the floor. The bill targets one provision of current law: a Veteran medically retired with fewer than 20 years of service who also draws VA compensation for a combat injury has their military retirement pay reduced dollar for dollar by the amount of that VA compensation. Advocates call that reduction the “wounded warrior tax,” and it affects roughly 59,000 combat-injured Veterans. The bill has 340 co-sponsors, but Republican leaders have objected to the price — the Congressional Budget Office now estimates more than $78 billion from 2026 to 2036, revised up sharply from earlier figures. The motion must sit on the House Calendar for seven legislative days, and with the House in recess the window does not open until members return; a floor vote is not expected before November.
Bottom Line: Reaching 218 signatures is real movement, not a law. Nothing about your retirement pay or your VA compensation changes today. Here is what you can act on right now instead of waiting: if you were medically retired with under 20 years of service and your retirement pay is being offset, look hard at Combat-Related Special Compensation. CRSC already exists, it restores pay for combat-related disabilities, and you apply through your own branch of service — not VA — using DD Form 2860. A large share of the Veterans this bill is written for have never applied for it. Pull your Retiree Account Statement first and confirm an offset is actually being taken before you do anything else.
Source: Stars and Stripes, "Petition to force vote on Major Richard Star Act hits signature target," Sept. 16, 2026; U.S. House Clerk discharge petition record; Congressional Budget Office cost estimate; DFAS — Combat-Related Special CompensationAsk AVOY Navigator AI about this →
📅 Overseas Veterans · OngoingOverseas Veterans
If you live abroad, the Foreign Medical Program pays for your service-connected care — but two clocks and one address decide whether you get reimbursed
More than 80,000 Veterans live outside the United States, and for those with service-connected conditions the Foreign Medical Program is the benefit that pays for their care. The program is under real strain: demand has climbed sharply while scrutiny has tightened, and Veterans report long waits to be reimbursed for treatment they already paid for out of pocket. Government Accountability Office figures tell the growth story — FMP handled roughly 64,000 claims in 2018 and more than 160,000 by 2024, with reimbursements rising from about $35 million to roughly $128 million over that span. Added scrutiny following a fraud investigation involving providers in Panama led to provider suspensions, which slowed processing further. Be precise about what has and has not happened: no benefit was cut, no eligibility rule changed, and no filing deadline moved. FMP still covers care for service-connected conditions and for conditions that are associated with or made worse by them. The failure point that actually costs Veterans money is almost never eligibility — it is documentation and patience.
Bottom Line: Two clocks govern this benefit and most Veterans only know about one. You generally have two years from the date of care (or from discharge) to file, and only one year from a denial to request reconsideration. Build the itemized bill at the counter before you leave the clinic — provider's full name and medical title, office and billing address, phone number, the conditions treated and the dates of care — because a foreign clinic is very hard to chase months later. Watch the mailing address: older VA fact sheets still circulating online list Denver, Colorado, but VA's current page routes FMP claims to Spring City, Pennsylvania. And if VA has an international bank account on file for you, payment goes out as a mailed U.S. Treasury check instead of a deposit; fix that through Ask VA. VA converts foreign currency at the exchange rate from the date of care, not the date it pays you.
Source: VA.gov — Foreign Medical Program; Government Accountability Office report GAO-25-107149; Stars and Stripes, "Foreign Medical Program for veterans overseas is having growing pains," Sept. 17, 2026Ask AVOY Navigator AI about this →
📅 Appeals · OngoingDenied Claims
Denied or lowballed? You generally have one year and three separate paths — picking the wrong one costs time
Under the Appeals Modernization Act, a VA decision is not the end. You generally have three review options. A Supplemental Claim is for when you have new and relevant evidence VA has not seen — a new exam, buddy statements, private treatment records. A Higher-Level Review asks a more senior reviewer to take a fresh look at the same evidence, so it is the right choice when you believe VA made an error with what it already had; no new evidence is allowed. A Board Appeal sends the case to the Board of Veterans' Appeals, with three sub-options: direct review, evidence submission, or a hearing before a Veterans Law Judge. Each lane has different timelines, and hearings typically take the longest. Veterans service organizations are currently pressing Congress to modernize the appeals process further, so the options above are the law today, not necessarily the law a year from now.
Bottom Line: Read the decision letter and act within one year to protect your original effective date — that date controls your back pay. If the problem is missing evidence, file a Supplemental Claim; if the problem is a mistake in the decision, request a Higher-Level Review. A VA-accredited VSO can file any of these for free.