For nearly 40 years, DAV, Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) and the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) have worked to develop and present concrete recommendations through the release of The Independent Budget. In February during an in-person event on Capitol Hill, the coalition presented its budget recommendations for fiscal years 2026 and 2027. With staff members from over two dozen congressional offices in attendance, organization representatives provided critical insights to policymakers on what those who served require from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

“Our nation has a solemn duty to honor its commitment to America’s veterans by ensuring timely access to the high-quality health care and benefits they have earned and deserve,” said Randy Reese, DAV Washington Headquarters executive director. “This year’s Independent Budget recommendations would prevent future budget shortfalls, which would jeopardize veterans’ care, and ensure they receive the benefits they earned to make ends meet.”

In 2024, the VA set records in nearly every facet of care. The VA provided over 127.5 million health care appointments. Through community care, the VA delivered a record 3.4 million additional visits to over 330,000 veterans. Furthermore, nearly 800,000 veterans enrolled in VA health care in the past two fiscal years, a 37% increase, largely due to the PACT Act.

However, in July 2024, the VA informed Congress, DAV and other stakeholders that it had an impending shortfall of nearly $15 billion in its accounts for benefits and health care. Of that, the VA reported a nearly $3 billion shortage in the mandatory accounts that fund VA disability compensation, survivor and education benefits. Shortfalls in funding can lead to potential delays in processing claims and potential reductions in benefits and can affect the delivery of health care services.

The additional request for funding, commonly called a “second bite,” didn’t sit well with lawmakers. It also caused tremendous anxiety for veterans and their families who rely on the high-quality health care and benefits they have earned.

Shortly after the in-person event on Capitol Hill, DAV members reinforced the importance of this year’s Independent Budget during their member meetings at the 2025 DAV Mid-Winter Conference in Washington, D.C. Altogether, DAV members from across the nation brought the recommendations from our critical policy goals and The Independent Budget to over 100 members in Congress.

Delivering The Independent Budget’s recommendations has come at a pivotal time. They outline the resources needed to support veterans and counter threats like proposed reductions in the VA workforce or cancellations of VA research contracts that could negatively affect the delivery of veterans health care and benefits.

“This grassroots approach of member advocacy helps our organization build public support, educate lawmakers and hold them accountable for their decisions regarding veterans care and benefits,” said Joy Ilem, DAV national legislative director. “These meetings remind our elected officials that, behind every policy and statistic, there are real people that are impacted by their decisions on the VA budget.”

The Independent Budget is available at independentbudget.org, and an accompanying podcast episode is available here.