The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has unveiled plans to allocate an additional $800 million for infrastructure upgrades across its healthcare facilities. This funding is part of the government’s ongoing efforts to modernise the VA’s medical services and provide veterans with timely and high-quality care.
With a network of over 1,380 healthcare facilities, including 170 VA Medical Centers and 1,193 outpatient sites, the department serves more than 9 million veterans. This significant funding increase will address the urgent need for modernisation and help improve the overall experience for veterans seeking medical care.
Infrastructure Upgrades to Enhance Patient Care
The additional $800 million will be channelled into the Veterans Health Administration’s Non-Recurring Maintenance (NRM) program, which has been allocated $2.8 billion for fiscal year 2025—an increase of $500 million from the previous year.
According to a VA press release, the investment will tackle critical infrastructure projects across healthcare facilities nationwide. These upgrades include the modernisation of boiler systems, the installation of new elevators, and improvements to HVAC systems.
The funding will also support the ongoing Electronic Health Record Modernization initiative, which aims to streamline and enhance veterans’ medical records across VA facilities.
VA Secretary Doug Collins emphasised the importance of these changes in a statement, saying, “Improved facilities, equipment, and infrastructure help improve care for veterans, and these additional funds will enable VA to achieve that goal.”
These infrastructure improvements are seen as essential to ensuring that the VA’s facilities meet the growing demands of veterans while maintaining safe and effective treatment environments.
Expanding Services and Strengthening Oversight
In addition to facility improvements, the VA’s recent investments aim to enhance the broader healthcare service experience for veterans. A key initiative includes eliminating the need for a second VA physician to approve eligibility for non-VA care, a move expected to reduce wait times and administrative delays.
Earlier this year, the VA launched a $52 million funding program to support community-based organisations focused on suicide prevention and emergency clinical services for veterans at risk. Moreover, the VA has been working to reduce waste and improve accountability.
This includes identifying duplicate payments made to providers over the past six years, amounting to over $106 million. This recent initiative with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will help curb these unnecessary expenses and ensure the department can better allocate funds to improve care.
