Southern Illinois News

Mike Bost, representative for Illinois' 12th Congressional District, said his mission is to ensure veterans receive their benefits and commended recent progress by the Veterans Administration in expediting claims approvals.

"As Chairman of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, I've made it my mission to help ensure veterans get the benefits they've earned without delay," said Bost, U.S. Representative, according to Facebook. "I'm happy to report that, under the leadership of President Donald J. Trump and VA Secretary Doug Collins, the VA has processed more than 2 MILLION disability claims in record-breaking time this year. This is a massive step forward from the previous administration, cutting wait times and reducing a crippling benefits backlog. Our veterans deserve it!"

According to a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) press release, more than two million disability claims had been processed as of June 21, 2025. In the fiscal year 2025, the VA granted over $120 billion in compensation and pension benefits to veterans and survivors. Since January 20, 2025, the VA reduced its backlog of disability claims by more than 74,000, and the average wait time for claim processing decreased from 141.5 days to 131.8 days as of June 21.

Screenshot of U.S. Rep. Mike Bost's June 24 Facebook post | U.S. Rep. Mike Bost's Facebook page

"VA has reduced the claims backlog and has processed these claims faster than ever for a simple reason: we’re focused on getting results for Veterans. We are just getting started in our mission to help Veterans, families, caregivers and survivors get the care and benefits they’ve earned," said VA Secretary Doug Collins.

The VA has set processing records for the past three fiscal years, according to Military Times. This achievement is partly due to an increase in annual claims linked to the 2022 PACT Act, which expanded eligibility for compensation related to toxic exposure during military service. If the VA maintains its current pace, it could process 2.8 million disability claims this fiscal year—300,000 more than the record of 2.5 million claims set in 2024.

Bost has represented Illinois’ 12th District since January 6, 2015. A lifelong Murphysboro resident, he has extensive experience in state politics, having served as the House Republican Caucus Chair in the Illinois State House of Representatives for two decades. He is also a former U.S. Marine Corps member who served from 1979-1982. Before entering full-time politics, Bost worked for 24 years at Bost Trucking Service and later joined the Murphysboro Fire Department after completing training at the University of Illinois’ Certified Firefighter II Academy in 1993.