The Department of Veterans Affairs has completely eliminated the backlog of CHAMPVA applications, ending years of delays that left thousands of Veteran spouses, dependents, survivors, and caregivers waiting for health care coverage, and ushering in what VA leaders say is a new era of faster, more efficient access for Veteran families.
The Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs (CHAMPVA) currently provides health care coverage to more than 900,000 qualifying beneficiaries. When President Trump took office in January, the program had a backlog of more than 70,000 unprocessed applications, with some families waiting over 150 days for action during the previous administration.
According to the department, the backlog was reduced to zero as of October, and new applications are now being processed in just a handful of days. The VA currently receives about 4,000 new CHAMPVA applications per week, but can now process more than it takes in — a significant change from earlier years.
The VA also announced sharp progress in reducing appeals related to CHAMPVA. Under the prior administration, appeals waiting for review exceeded 20,000. That number has now dropped to 1,000, with officials saying the figure is rapidly decreasing.
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