Category: Military Lifestyle

WASHINGTON — The Department of Veterans Affairs this weekend will honor 49 Veterans of the Revolutionary War who are interred or memorialized in VA national cemeteries or VA-administered soldiers lots in private cemeteries, as part of the yearlong effort to commemorate America’s 250th anniversary.

While Declaration of Independence was adopted by the Continental Congress July 4, 1776, most delegates signed it on Aug. 2, 1776. To mark that event, ceremonies will commence at 10 a.m. local time, Aug. 2, 2026, at 16 sites across the country:

• Bath National Cemetery, New York
• Baton Rouge National Cemetery, Louisiana
• Beverly National Cemetery, New Jersey
• Congressional Cemetery Government Lots, District of Columbia  
• Crown Hill National Cemetery, Indiana
• Florida National Cemetery, Florida
• Fort Bliss National Cemetery, Texas
• Fort Winnebago Cemetery Soldiers’ Lot, Wisconsin
• Gerald B H Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery, New York
• Great Lakes National Cemetery, Michigan
• Indiantown Gap National Cemetery, Pennsylvania
• Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, Missouri
• Marietta National Cemetery, Georgia
• Mountain Home National Cemetery, Tennessee
• Springfield National Cemetery, Missouri
• West Virginia National Cemetery, West Virginia

“Service, sacrifice and patriotism are qualities displayed by our Veterans going back to the very founding of our nation,” said VA Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs Sam Brown. “Two hundred and fifty years later, we remain inspired by those who first took up arms in defense of liberty, and who, like the signers of the Declaration of Independence, risked their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor to establish the United States of America.”

View VA Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs Sam Brown’s invitation to join the events here.

The names of the soldiers and sailors to be honored can be found here: Revolutionary War Interred Veterans.

NCA provides burial and memorial benefits to eligible Veterans, their spouses, and their dependents — at no cost to the family. This includes a gravesite in any of VA’s national cemeteries with available space, opening and closing of the grave, perpetual care, a government headstone, marker updated this link or medallion, updated this link a burial flag and a Presidential Memorial Certificate. Some Veterans may also be eligible for burial allowances.

Learn more about VA’s burial and memorial benefits.

WASHINGTON – The Department of Veterans Affairs approved $1.2 billion in VA infrastructure improvements in the third quarter of fiscal year 2026, part of a record $4.8 billion in non-recurring maintenance funds VA will deploy this year.

VA’s FY 2026 $4.8 billion NRM budget is the largest in the department’s history.

The funds will be used by VA medical facilities for significant maintenance, replacements and upgrades needed to maintain and improve operational capability and healthcare delivery.

“Under President Trump, VA is making historic improvements in healthcare accessibility, customer service and convenience,” said VA Secretary Doug Collins. “These record-breaking investments will enable us to continue building on that progress.”

The list of third quarter projects can be found here.

Of the total $4.8 billion committed for FY 2026, VA has now obligated $2.3 billion through the third quarter. That obligation of funds in the third quarter will be used for:

• $915M to repair and upgrade outdated infrastructure systems in medical facilities.
• $229M for maintenance and modernization of facility infrastructure to support future electronic health record system updates.
• $11M for major building upgrades like elevators, electrical systems, and boiler plants.

These investments are just one of many ways the Trump Administration is making VA work better for Veterans. For example, VA has:

• Enrolled more than 200,000 new Veterans in VA healthcare in 2026.
• Opened 38 new VA health care facilities since Jan. 20, 2025, expanding healthcare access for Veterans around the country.
• Reduced the backlog of Veterans waiting for VA benefits by 74% since Jan. 20, 2025, after it increased 24% during the Biden Administration.
• Completed 82,083,918 direct care appointments in FY 2025, up 4.1% from FY 2024.
• Completed 59,989,662 community care appointments, up 12% from FY2024.
• Offered Veterans more than 3 million appointments outside of normal operating hours, giving Veterans more timely and convenient options for care.
• Permanently housed 51,936 homeless Veterans across the country in FY 2025, the highest total in seven years.

WASHINGTON — The Department of Veterans Affairs today announced eight grants to educational and research institutions totaling $2,199,686 to memorialize Veterans interred in VA and VA grant-funded cemeteries as part of the National Cemetery Administration’s Veterans Legacy Program.

These grants help fund opportunities for educators and students to conduct research and visit cemeteries to learn about the service and sacrifice of America’s Veterans. Each grant recipient has designed a program to memorialize the brave men and women who have been laid to rest in our national cemeteries. At the end of each program, students will have a chance to share what they have learned in a public forum.

“These grants connect America’s youth with America’s Veterans,” said VA Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs Sam Brown “They help teach young people valuable lessons about service, sacrifice, courage, and perseverance that will last a lifetime.”

The recipients announced today were selected following a rigorous review process. They include:

1. Umoⁿhoⁿ Nation Public School, $125,000

This Nebraska school district will reinforce the importance of honoring Veterans who served in the Omaha Tribal community for K-12 students. Elementary school students will learn about service, remembrance and respectful inquiry through guided evidence activities and remembrance projects. Middle school students will investigate local Veteran stories through research at school and at their local Veterans’ cemetery. High school students will conduct deeper historical research and create biographies and interpretive products suitable for public sharing in the Veterans Legacy Memorial (VLM).

2. National History Day, Inc., $356,582

This nonprofit will identify 50 teachers across the nation who live near a VA or VA grant-funded cemetery and help each teacher identify a group of interested students who will study Veterans who served in the U.S. Navy and/or Coast Guard during World War II. NHD will guide research and work to add up to 100 profiles for publication on the Veterans Legacy Memorial and cross-listed on NHDSilentHeroes.org.

3. U.S. Korea Global Strategy Foundation, $329,997

This research institute will host webinars aimed at connecting students and teachers to the VLM and national cemeteries by having students research local Vietnam War Veterans buried in a national cemetery. The project expects to reach as many as 21,000 students and 900 teachers across the country.

4. University of Alaska Anchorage, $325,000

The university will teach high school and undergraduate students about Veterans’ contribution to Alaska’s and America’s history and highlight the unique experiences of Alaska’s Veteran population. It will also work to establish a dedicated memorial on UAA’s Anchorage campus where students will display and present their research.

5. Texas State University, $286,985

Through its TexVet Legacy Project, the university will produce Veteran stories for the VLM and produce educational materials for K-12 students that focus on Gold Star Families and include guided cemetery visits to VA-funded cemeteries in Texas. The university expects this project to reach an estimated 4,000 students per year in this work.

6. University of Central Missouri, $255,451

This university will educate students and faculty about Veterans interred at Fort Scott National Cemetery in Kansas and the Missouri State Veterans Cemetery in Higginsville. It will hire five UCM students to create biographies of veterans interred at these local cemeteries, develop a dedicated project website, create video content and operate walking tours, and conduct community engagement events to expand the reach of the VLM.

7. University of Denver, $201,699

This project will collaborate with area K-12 schools and invite teachers to offer Veteran-focused curriculum on local Veteran history. High school students will learn from Veterans and work with University of Denver students in documenting the unique legacy of Colorado veterans. The project will also update and extend the reach of morethanaheadstone.org, adding virtual walking tours and student-generated biographies to the Veterans Legacy Memorial. Finally, the project will explore and define future collaborations with Fort Logan National Cemetery, so that the histories of all Colorado veterans can be discovered and shared.

8. Montclair State University, $318,971

The Garden State Veterans Legacy Program (GSVLP) will enroll teachers in a 12-month curriculum development program. Participants will learn professional historical research methods using specialized databases like Ancestry.com, Fold3, and military archives to uncover the experiences of Veterans with connections to New Jersey. A central component of the program is a three-day field trip to Beverly National Cemetery, Finn’s Point National Cemetery, Brigadier General William C. Doyle Memorial Cemetery, and Washington Crossing National Cemetery.

VA established VLP in 2016 to memorialize Veterans through educational outreach and to connect students, educators, and citizens with VA national cemeteries. The program has so far awarded dozens of grants and engaged with more than 15,000 students. Veteran biographies, images and other content are also preserved on VA’s Veterans Legacy Memorial site, where individual web pages commemorate the lives and service of more than 10 million U.S. Veterans interred in U.S. and overseas cemeteries.

NCA provides burial and memorial benefits to eligible Veterans, their spouses, and their dependents — at no cost to the family. This includes a gravesite in any of VA’s national cemeteries with available space, opening and closing of the grave, perpetual care, a government headstone, marker or medallion, a burial flag and a Presidential Memorial Certificate. Some Veterans may also be eligible for burial allowances.

Click here to learn more about VA’s burial benefits and memorial services

More than 10.3 million Veterans are memorialized in VA’s Veterans Legacy Memorial, the first digital platform dedicated to preserving the memory of our Veterans. It includes those interred in VA’s 157 national cemeteries, VA-funded state, territorial, and tribal Veterans cemeteries, Arlington National Cemetery and the overseas American Battle Monuments Commission cemeteries. VLM affords family, friends and others a free venue to preserve their Veteran’s legacy by posting personal tributes, uploading images, sharing their Veteran’s achievements, biographical information and historical documents to memorialize their military service.

VA is proposing to reduce application paperwork by nearly two thirds, and cut the time needed to apply for benefits by nearly one third

WASHINGTON — The Department of Veterans Affairs today announced a proposal to cut the amount of paperwork and time it takes for Veterans to apply for VA benefits.

VA published proposals in June to reduce the paperwork burden for Veterans seeking disability compensation benefits (on VA Form 21-526EZ), as well as Dependency and Indemnity Compensation, survivor’s pension, and accrued benefits (on VA Form 21-534EZ).

By simplifying instructions and reducing redundant elements on these applications, VA is proposing to cut the disability compensation application form from 15 pages to 5 pages. VA estimates the new form would take applicants 15 minutes to complete instead of the 25 minutes it currently takes.

VA is also proposing to cut the DIC application from 20 pages to 7 pages and cut the time to complete the application to an estimated 25 minutes, down from 40 minutes.

“No Veteran or surviving family member should face unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles when seeking the benefits they’ve earned,” said VA Secretary Doug Collins. “These proposals reflect our commitment to putting Veterans and their families first — reducing paperwork, saving time, and making the application process as straightforward as possible.”

VA is currently accepting public comment on both disability compensation benefits and  Dependency and Indemnity Compensation, survivor’s pension, and accrued benefits, which are available for review. The new, simplified application forms are projected to be available for use by December 2026.

WASHINGTON — The Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Health and Human Services signed a memorandum of understanding today to ensure the effective implementation of President Trump’s Executive Order on Accelerating Medical Treatments for Serious Mental Illness.

Through that order, President Trump instructed his administration to explore whether psychedelic drugs might play a role in saving the lives of Veterans and others with serious mental illness. It specifically called on VA to work with HHS to increase clinical trial participation and share data with the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) to ensure that successful trials lead to the timely evaluation and approval of these drugs.

The MOU signed today lays the groundwork for VA-HHS cooperation on psychedelic trials, which includes efforts to:

• Increase clinical trial participation
• Provide training for therapists, nurses and doctors involved in these trials
• Collect and share data on the effectiveness, safety and costs of these potential therapies
• Share data with the FDA so it can quickly approve tested treatments
• Develop educational materials so patients know what to expect when a successful trial leads to a new, approved treatment

A suite of accompanying actions being taken today by HHS in conjunction with the MOU to advance the partnership.

“President Trump opened up a world of possibility for treating Veterans and others with mental health conditions, and VA is proud to be part of this important work,” said VA Secretary Doug Collins. “Today’s MOU ensures effective cooperation with HHS as we try to turn research into life-changing treatment.”

“America owes every Veteran the best care our nation can provide,” said HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. “We’re not going to wait while promising treatments sit on the sidelines. Thanks to President Trump’s leadership, HHS and the VA are working together to develop safe, FDA-approved innovations and transition them from research into care so veterans can access the treatments they deserve.”

VA is involved in 20 active clinical trials focused on psychedelic therapies for mental health conditions that are supported by the VA Office of Research and Development and more than $23 million in external funding. All VA research, including research into psychedelics, is conducted under strict safety protocols and in full compliance with federal guidelines.

Psychedelic drugs are a class of substances that alter consciousness or awareness and can be organically or synthetically produced. VA trials are and will be conducted in accordance with FDA research guidelines, and clinical use of these therapies outside of research will only be considered by VA once FDA approval is granted.

VA strongly discourages self-medicating or attempting to replace other mental health treatment options with psychedelics or any other unprescribed substances. Proven, evidence-based treatments, are currently available at VA facilities to treat Veterans with mental health conditions. Veterans should always consult their health care providers before making any treatment decisions.

Over 140 ‘Freedom 250’ events at VA facilities across the nation will spur additional enrollment

WASHINGTON – The Department of Veterans Affairs announced today that more than 200,000 new Veterans have enrolled in VA healthcare so far in 2026, a testament to the landmark improvements VA has made during the second Trump Administration.

Under President Trump, VA is improving its outreach to Veterans who aren’t enrolled in VA care and benefits, which can save Veterans and their families thousands of dollars per year. This year’s enrollment push has already generated more than 500,000 completed or scheduled VA healthcare encounters, including more than 60,000 mental health appointments, and more than 2,100 newly enrolled Veterans have received emergency care services at VA.

To mark America’s 250^th birthday, VA hospitals, Vet Centers and other facilities this summer are holding more than 140 “Freedom 250” events, which will introduce VA to thousands of additional unenrolled Veterans.

“America couldn’t celebrate its 250^th anniversary without help from the Veterans who sacrificed to protect her,” said VA Secretary Doug Collins. “That’s why we’re making an extra push this year to make sure Veterans know we’re here to get them the help they earned through their service.”

Veterans who want to learn more about VA can locate and call their nearest VA, visit this site, or call VA 24/7 at 1-800-698-2241.

Under the second Trump Administration, VA continues to make major improvements in the way care and benefits are being delivered to Veterans:

• VA opened 38 new health care clinics since January of 2025, expanding access for Veterans around the country.
• The backlog of Veterans waiting for VA benefits is down 74% since Jan. 20, 2025, after it increased 24% during the Biden Administration. In June, this backlog fell to less than 70,000 claims for the first time since 2020.
• VA will spend nearly $5 billion in FY2026 to modernize, repair and improve health care facilities, the largest non-recurring maintenance investment in VA’s history.
• Since Jan. 20, 2025, VA has offered Veterans more than 2.8 million appointments outside of normal operating hours. These early-morning, evening, and weekend appointments are giving Veterans more timely and convenient options for care.
• VA permanently housed 51,936 homeless Veterans across the country in FY25, the highest total in seven years.

Agreement will waive franchise fees for Veterans who become Steak ‘n Shake owner-operators through the company’s Franchise Partner Program

WASHINGTON — The Department of Veterans Affairs and Steak ‘n Shake today announced an agreement to promote VA benefits and services and make it easier for Veterans to become owner-operators of Steak ‘n Shake franchises.

As part of the public-private partnership, VA and Steak ‘n Shake have signed a memorandum of understanding under which:

• Steak ‘n Shake will waive its $10,000 fee under its Franchise Partner Program for Veterans seeking to run their own Steak ‘n Shake franchise.
• Steak ‘n Shake restaurants across the nation will promote awareness of VA healthcare and benefits through in-restaurant signage and on its website.
• Steak ‘n Shake will prioritize the hiring of Veterans and VA beneficiaries, including family members, caregivers and survivors, for leadership positions across the company.

“VA is all about helping those who have worn the uniform achieve the American Dream,” said VA Secretary Doug Collins. “This agreement with Steak ‘n Shake will make it easier for Veterans and their families to do just that.”

“I’m grateful to Secretary Collins and the Department of Veterans Affairs for their support of this initiative. Veterans are among the finest leaders in our country, and this partnership is about translating our respect for them into real economic opportunity — both behind the counter and at the ownership level,” said Michael Boes, Chief MAHA Officer of Steak ‘n Shake.

The MOU builds on VA’s landmark efforts during the second Trump Administration to improve the department and make it easier for Veterans to get the VA care and benefits they’ve earned. Recent improvements include:

• Opening 38 new VA healthcare facilities since Jan. 20, 2025, expanding healthcare access for Veterans around the country.
• Reducing the backlog of Veterans waiting for VA benefits by 74% since Jan. 20, 2025, after it increased 24% during the Biden Administration.
• Enrolling more than 180,000 new Veterans in VA healthcare in 2026.
• Completing an all-time high of 82,083,918 direct care appointments in FY 2025, up 4.1% from FY 2024.
• Completing a record high 60,007,423 community care appointments in FY 2025, up nearly 12% from FY 2024.
• Offering Veterans more than 3 million appointments outside of normal operating hours, giving Veterans more timely and convenient options for care.
• Permanently housing 51,936 homeless Veterans across the country in FY 2025, the highest total in seven years.

WASHINGTON — The Department of Veterans Affairs today announced the backlog of Veterans waiting for VA disability compensation and pension benefit claims fell below 70,000 for the first time since February 2020, during the first Trump Administration.

Hitting this milestone means the department has now cut the backlog of Veterans waiting for VA benefits by over 74% since Jan. 20, 2025, after it increased 24% under the Biden Administration.

A VA claim for compensation or pension is considered backlogged once it has been pending in the claims inventory for more than 125 days. In 2013, 70% of claims were older than 125 days — the most ever — compared to just 11.6% today.

VA has also reduced the average time it takes to process a claim to a record low. Today, claims take an average of 77.7 days to process – the fastest ever. Since the second Trump Administration took office, VA has decided more than one million claims in less than 30 days.

“This is what putting Veterans first looks like,” said VA Secretary Doug Collins. “We are incredibly proud of these historic numbers, which mean faster decisions, better service and more benefits for the men and women who have worn the uniform.”

This milestone is one of many landmark VA achievements during the second Trump Administration, including:

• Opening 38 new VA healthcare facilities, expanding health care access for Veterans around the country.
• Processing more than 3 million disability compensation and pension claims in FY 2025, an all-time high that shattered the previous record set in FY 2024.
• Offering Veterans more than 3 million appointments outside of normal operating hours, which gives Veterans more timely and convenient options for care.
• Permanently housing 51,936 homeless Veterans across the country in FY 2025, the highest total in seven years.

VA encourages all Veterans to visit Choose.VA.gov to learn more and apply for the care and benefits they have earned.

WASHINGTON — The Department of Veterans Affairs today announced the establishment of a single payroll processing center for all 430,000+ VA employees and all VA medical centers, a common-sense move that reduces bureaucracy, saves taxpayer funds and lets VA focus more resources on serving Veterans.

VA originally targeted late 2027 for completing this project but finished it 15 months ahead of time.

“Needless duplication of bureaucracy is the opposite of putting Veterans first,” said VA Secretary Doug Collins. “Consolidating payroll support for all medical centers to one payroll office is a commonsense reform that will let us focus on our real mission, which is serving Veterans, families, caregivers and survivors.”

When the Trump Administration took office in 2025, the majority of VA medical centers — 114 of them across the country — were still using their own systems to handle payroll, even though VA’s Financial Services Center was set up to do this work from a centralized location. This duplication cost taxpayers millions of dollars a year to maintain.

Effective June 1, 2026, all VHA facilities are processing payroll through the FSC, which was already handling payroll for all Veterans Benefits Administration and National Cemetery Administration offices. VA expects this consolidation to save taxpayers more than $24 million each year.

No VA employees were laid off or removed as part of this shift to a centralized payroll system. The new system can be run by about 600 employees. Any VA employee who is no longer needed for payroll processing has been realigned to other work.

The Trump Administration has continued to bring good governance back to VA. The move to a centralized payroll system is just one of several steps taken to make the department run more efficiently. Among other things, VA has:

• Reduced bureaucracy and removed layers of wasteful headquarters management.
• Reformed and reorganized a disjointed and under-supported police force.
• Introduced the use of manning documents to track all job titles throughout the agency, making it easier for VA to identify and fill needed positions.

Centralizing payroll is just one of several ways the Trump Administration is making VA work better for Veterans. Among other improvements, VA has:

• Opened 38 new VA healthcare facilities since Jan. 20, 2025, expanding health care access for Veterans around the country.
• Completed an all-time high of 82,083,918 direct care appointments in FY 2025, up 4.1% from FY 2024.
• Reduced the backlog of Veterans waiting for VA benefits by 74% since Jan. 20, 2025, after it increased 24% during the Biden Administration.
• Offered Veterans more than 2.8 million appointments outside of normal operating hours, giving Veterans more timely and convenient options for care.
• Permanently housed 51,936 homeless Veterans across the country in FY 2025, the highest total in seven years.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs today announced it made more than $36 billion in payments to local healthcare providers across the country in fiscal year 2025 as part of the bipartisan VA MISSION Act.

President Trump signed the MISSION Act in 2018 after it passed Congress with widespread bipartisan support. The law created a benefit that lets eligible Veterans choose care from authorized local, non-VA healthcare providers at VA expense. VA pays for that care under the Veterans Community Care Program, which is the fourth largest healthcare payer program in America and provides healthcare services supporting more than 8.62 million enrolled Veterans.

With the enactment of the bipartisan Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act in 2025, Congress reaffirmed its commitment to Veterans’ healthcare choice by requiring VA to ensure that Veterans and their referring clinicians can choose community care without any additional review when it’s in the Veteran’s best medical interest. Under current law, Veterans can also choose community care in other circumstances, including if their average driving time or wait time exceeds certain thresholds or when they need a service that is not provided by VA.

While community care is an important option for many Veterans, VA is also spending record amounts of funding on direct care — a record high $101 billion was spent on direct care in FY 2025, when VA completed a record high 82,083,918 direct care appointments, up 4.1% from FY 2024.

Federal healthcare payer programs — like the Veterans Community Care Program, Medicare, Medicaid and TRICARE — are critical to the operation of every healthcare system in the country and help ensure patients get the care they need. That is especially true in rural areas, where millions of America’s Veterans live. Rural healthcare providers sometimes operate on margins of less than 1%, which means VA community care payments help ensure these providers remain open and able to care for Veterans, their families and others in the community.

Providing Veterans the ability to receive care from non-VA healthcare providers at VA expense has widespread bipartisan support. A March 2026 survey from Rasmussen Reports found that 90% of likely military voters support the policy.

In FY 2025, the top ten states that benefited from VA community care were:

• Texas, $3.3 billion
• Florida, $2.8 billion
• California, $2.1 billion
• North Carolina, $1.5 billion
• Ohio, $1.3 billion
• Tennessee, $1.2 billion
• Pennsylvania, $1.1 billion
• Michigan, $1.0 billion
• Georgia, $1.0 billion
• Arizona, $1.0 billion

See the full list of states here.

“When it passed the MISSION Act and the Dole Act, Congress promised all eligible Veterans the ability to choose the healthcare that’s best for them — whether at a VA facility or a community provider. Under President Trump, VA is delivering on that promise each and every day,” said VA Secretary Doug Collins. “VA community care is a vital benefit that ensures the health of both Veterans and the local economies where they live.”

Under the second Trump Administration, VA continues to make major improvements in the way care and benefits are being delivered to Veterans:

• VA opened 36 new health care clinics since January of 2025, expanding access for Veterans around the country.
• The backlog of Veterans waiting for VA benefits is down 72% since Jan. 20, 2025, after it increased 24% during the Biden Administration. In February, this backlog fell to less than 100,000 claims for the first time since 2020.
• VA will spend nearly $5 billion in FY2026 to modernize, repair and improve health care facilities, the largest non-recurring maintenance investment in VA’s history.
• As of June, VA has enrolled more than 180,000 new Veterans in VA health care in 2026.
• Since Jan. 20, 2025, VA has offered Veterans more than 2.8 million appointments outside of normal operating hours. These early-morning, evening, and weekend appointments are giving Veterans more timely and convenient options for care.
• VA permanently housed 51,936 homeless Veterans across the country in FY25, the highest total in seven years.