VA Benefits Update: Trump Official Reveals Changes to Impact Overall Care
Collins said that veterans should specifically look beyond wait times and focus more on the quality of care they receive.
Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins announced changes to how the Department of Veterans Affairs evaluates health care performance, emphasizing quality of care over wait times. The VA reported record levels of health care appointments and disability claims processing under the Trump administration, with 59,989,662 community care appointments in fiscal year 2025, a 12% increase from the previous year.
However, Collins urged veterans to focus more on the quality of care received. The VA also processed 82,083,918 direct-care appointments through VA facilities, up 4.1% from the prior year. Disability claims processing times fell to 75.6 days in September 2025, down from 141.5 days in January 2025, with accuracy at 94%. While Collins did not announce new benefits programs, he highlighted expanding access to community care and increasing appointment availability within VA facilities.
The administration has also opened new health care facilities and reduced disability-claim backlogs. Collins emphasized that the VA is reforming itself to prioritize veterans, while experts stress the need to consider treatment quality and outcomes, not just appointment speed, in future discussions about veterans' access to care.
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