DAV: The VA stands at a crossroads
WASHINGTON, Feb. 25, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The following can be attributed to DAV National Commander Coleman Nee:
Today the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) stands at a defining crossroads—one that will shape not only the institution itself, but our nation’s enduring commitment to those who have worn its uniform.
On one path, lies the dismantling, fragmentation, and gradual erosion of a system that was built to serve veterans. On the other, lies a principled effort to modernize, strengthen, and safeguard the VA for future generations who will answer the call to serve.
This is not merely a political or bureaucratic debate. It’s a moral, strategic, and even a national security issue.
As an organization founded before our nation had a federal agency charged with honoring veterans’ sacrifices, DAV (Disabled American Veterans) knows the VA was not created by accident or convenience. It was built out of necessity and obligation. After each major conflict in American history, our nation confronted the same question: How will we keep our promise to those who bore the cost of war?
The VA emerged as the answer. Its mission is singular in American governance—to serve a population defined not by age, income, or geography, but by service and sacrifice.
Yet today, the VA faces intense pressure. Critics point to long wait times, uneven quality of care, outdated infrastructure, and administrative inefficiencies. These criticisms are not unfounded. The VA, like many large institutions, has struggled to adapt to changing demands, particularly the complex needs of post-9/11 veterans.
But acknowledging flaws is not the same as abandoning the mission.
Calls to dismantle or significantly privatize the VA are often framed as pragmatic solutions—offering veterans “choice” by shifting care to the private sector. On the surface, this may sound reasonable. In practice, it risks hollowing out the only health care system in the country that is purpose-built for veterans.
Private health care systems are not designed around military service. They do not specialize in combat trauma, polytrauma rehabilitation, or the lifelong consequences of military toxic exposures. And they are not accountable to veterans in the same way a public institution is accountable to the people it serves.
Dismantling, once begun, is rarely reversible. As resources, talent, and expertise are siphoned away, the VA’s ability to function deteriorates—creating a self-fulfilling prophecy in which weakened performance is used to justify further destruction of the department. Veterans are left navigating a fragmented landscape of providers, insurers, and bureaucracies, often at moments when they are least equipped to do so.
Preservation, on the other hand, does not mean defending the status quo. Preserving the VA means reforming it with seriousness and resolve.
It means modernizing facilities, investing in digital health infrastructure, streamlining claims processing, and holding leadership accountable for performance. It means expanding mental health capacity, strengthening rural access, and ensuring that care keeps pace with evolving medical science. Most importantly, preservation means recognizing that the VA is not simply a health care provider—it is a covenant with those who have used and earned its services.
Every generation of veterans inherits the system built by those who came before. The VA that treated World War II veterans, like my dad, enabled the care of Korean and Vietnam veterans. The reforms driven by Gulf War veterans laid the groundwork for post-9/11 care. What we decide now will determine whether future veterans inherit a robust, integrated institution, or a patchwork of programs that treat their needs as transactional rather than holistic.
The choice before us is not between reform or stagnation. It is between responsibility or retreat.
The VA stands at a crossroads—and history will judge which path we choose. What lies beyond it is not merely an institutional outcome, but a statement of national character. Let us choose preservation. Let us choose reform. And above all, let us choose to keep the promise to those who have always kept faith with us.
- dav -
About DAV
DAV is dedicated to ensuring our promise is kept to America’s veterans. DAV does this by helping veterans and their families access the full range of benefits available to them, fighting for the interests of America’s injured heroes on Capitol Hill, providing employment resources to veterans and their families, offering programs and services to empower them, and educating the public about the great sacrifices and needs of veterans transitioning back to civilian life. A nonprofit organization with nearly 1 million members, DAV was founded in 1920 and chartered by the U.S. Congress in 1932. Learn more at dav.org.
Todd Hunter DAV (Disabled American Veterans) 321-217-8255 thunter@dav.org
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
