← All agencies
Department of Veterans Affairs
Most recent quarterly backlog
4,876
End of FY2025 Q4 (Jul 1 – Sep 30, 2025)
Latest annual report
2,684
End of FY2024 (Sept 30, 2024)
17-year change
-55%
FY2008 → FY2024 (Oct 1, 2007 – Sept 30, 2024)
Annual backlog, FY2008–FY2024
Pending requests at end of each fiscal year (Oct 1, 2007 – Sept 30, 2024). Federal fiscal year runs Oct 1 – Sept 30, named for the year it ends.
FY08: 5,979
FY10: 1,385
FY12: 1,441
FY14: 2,443
FY16: 4,473
FY18: 6,072
FY20: 4,206
FY22: 2,307
FY24: 2,684
Dashed verticals mark presidential inaugurations.
Recent quarterly activity
Last 17 quarters of received, processed, and backlog. Most recent: FY2025 Q4 (Jul 1 – Sep 30, 2025).
Backlog
4,876
Received per quarter
26,633
Processed per quarter
37,373
10 oldest pending requests, end of FY2024 (Sept 30, 2024)
Days pending counts forward from the day the request was received. The longer this list runs, the more litigation-ripe the agency’s backlog.
| Rank | Date received | Days pending | Years pending |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | 2015-10-09 | 2,249 | 6.2 |
| #2 | 2018-07-03 | 1,565 | 4.3 |
| #3 | 2018-11-30 | 207 | 0.6 |
| #4 | 2019-06-06 | 1,333 | 3.7 |
| #5 | 2020-04-29 | 157 | 0.4 |
| #6 | 2021-01-04 | 939 | 2.6 |
| #7 | 2021-03-19 | 442 | 1.2 |
| #8 | 2021-09-28 | 753 | 2.1 |
| #9 | 2021-11-16 | 720 | 2.0 |
| #10 | 2022-02-11 | 660 | 1.8 |
Exemption invocations, FY2024 (Oct 1, 2023 – Sept 30, 2024)
How often each FOIA exemption (b1–b9) was invoked when redacting or denying records. Exemption 5 (deliberative process, attorney-client) is highlighted — it’s the most-fought exemption in FOIA litigation.
FOIA staffing, FY2024 (Oct 1, 2023 – Sept 30, 2024)
Full-time employees
54
Equivalent FTE
313.4
Total FTE
367.4
Annual report history
| FY | Received | Processed | Pending end |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2024 | 105,725 | 119,453 | 2,684 |
| FY2023 | 79,590 | 72,403 | 9,614 |
| FY2022 | 22,542 | 24,343 | 2,307 |
| FY2021 | 27,762 | 30,227 | 3,316 |
| FY2020 | 19,053 | 19,323 | 4,206 |
| FY2019 | 21,336 | 23,749 | 3,654 |
| FY2018 | 24,555 | 22,851 | 6,072 |
| FY2017 | 24,176 | 25,237 | 4,062 |
| FY2016 | 34,459 | 33,313 | 4,473 |
| FY2015 | 29,716 | 30,436 | 1,722 |
| FY2014 | 28,009 | 27,982 | 2,443 |
| FY2013 | 25,647 | 26,376 | 1,770 |
| FY2012 | 24,423 | 24,785 | 1,441 |
| FY2011 | 27,655 | 27,891 | 1,537 |
| FY2010 | 29,127 | 28,857 | 1,385 |
| FY2009 | 69,432 | 71,487 | 2,677 |
| FY2008 | 99,333 | 98,455 | 5,979 |
Download raw data
Every dataset behind this page is available as CSV. Filter by agency name in your spreadsheet of choice.