The Department of Veterans Affairs announced that the backlog of VA disability compensation and pension benefit claims is "consistently" under 100,000 for the first time since 2020.

The last time the backlog was this low was in May 2020, during President Donald Trump's first term in the White House.

"Under President Trump, VA is providing Veterans, families, caregivers and survivors all of the benefits they have earned as quickly and conveniently as possible," Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins said in a news release.

This milestone means the department has now slashed the backlog of veterans waiting for VA benefits by 63% since Trump returned to office in January 2025 after it rose 24% under the Biden administration, according to the release.

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The department said that reducing the claims backlog has been an urgent priority for Collins.

The claims backlog was well above 100,000 from 2021 to 2024 during the Biden administration and was at 264,717 when Trump returned to office. During Trump's first administration, the department reached the lowest disability claims backlog on Dec. 21, 2019, when it was at 64,783 claims.

A VA claim for compensation or pension is considered backlogged once it has been pending in the claims inventory for more than 125 days, the department said.

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In 2013, a record-high 70% of claims were more than 125 days old. Today, that figure has dropped to just 17%, according to the department.

"VA's claims processing productivity is the highest it has ever been, and we look forward to continuing to provide record levels of service to Veterans and VA beneficiaries," Collins said in the release.

The department said this is one of several nationwide achievements during Trump’s second term, which also include opening more than 30 new VA health care facilities, expanding veterans’ access to health care, and permanently housing more than 50,000 homeless veterans in fiscal year 2025 — the highest total in seven years.

"We're not just talking about the American Dream; we're making it more accessible for the heroes who defended it," Collins wrote on X.

New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill was booed by fans attending the NJ Devils hockey game at the Prudential Center on Wednesday.

The game marked the NHL return of Team USA Olympic hero Jack Hughes since he scored the winning goal against Canada in the gold medal game on Sunday.

Sherrill was in attendance to welcome Hughes and other Olympic players back to stateside ice, but when she was announced by the PA spokesperson for the ceremonial puck drop, the Newark crowd erupted in relentless boos for her and her husband, Jason Hedberg.

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Still, Sherrill went on to make a social media post that included photos of her, Hughes and other players, celebrating the gold medal. Sherrill was mocked in response, as many critics pointed out how loudly she was booed.

"You managed to somehow get booed loudly during the most festive thing at the Rock ever," one X user wrote.

Another user wrote, "Didn’t everyone boo you?"

Sherrill has been a target of criticism from patriotic Americans dating back to her 2025 campaign, when it was revealed she was kept from participating in her Naval Academy commencement due to disciplinary action involving midshipmen stealing test answers in a particularly challenging electrical engineering course required for all non-engineering majors.

Sherill downplayed her involvement, saying, "I didn’t turn in some of my classmates, so I didn’t walk but graduated and was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Navy, serving for nearly ten years with the highest level of distinction and honor."

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Just this week, the Justice Department filed a lawsuit against New Jersey and Sherrill, accusing the state of expanding its sanctuary policies and obstructing federal immigration enforcement through a new executive order.

Still, Sherill's presence didn't stop anyone at the Prudential Center from celebrating Hughes and company on Wednesday.

Prior to the puck drop against the Buffalo Sabres, the Devils honored all of their Olympians from 2026, including those who represented foreign nations. No one received a warmer reception from the crowd than Hughes, as fans chanted "U-S-A!"

Hughes nearly broke down in tears while addressing the crowd.

"I’m so proud and I’m so happy that the men’s and women’s USA hockey teams brought gold medals back to the United States of America," Hughes said to the crowd. "You guys are making me emotional, but I’m so proud to represent the New Jersey Devils organization. And I’m so, so proud to represent the great state of New Jersey – so proud.

"From the bottom of my heart, all of my teammates, USA teammates, we just want to thank you guys for all the love and support. We feel it."

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