ORLANDO, Fla. — President Obama on Saturday assured thousands of disabled veterans meeting here that while the war in Afghanistan was ending, like the one in Iraq before it, the work of helping the wounded warriors of those conflicts “has only just begun.”

Mr. Obama, addressing the annual convention of the Disabled American Veterans, said that his administration was finally shrinking a backlog of years of benefits claims — by 20 percent in the past five months. But new waves of claims were coming in, he added, including from aging Vietnam veterans able to seek help for ailments that may stem from exposure to Agent Orange, and from recent combat casualties suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injuries.

“This time of war may be coming to an end, but the job of caring for our veterans goes on,” Mr. Obama said. “And our work caring for our newest veterans has only just begun.”

The president noted that even though the last veteran of World War I died two years ago, survivor benefits still go to the children of those who fought in that war, as well as in the Spanish-American War, and even to the daughter of a Civil War veteran — just as benefits will go to the heirs of what he called “the 9/11 generation.”