The VA and DoD Don't Have a Funding Problem. They Have a Mismanagement Crisis.
The opinions expressed in this op-ed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Military.com. If you would like to submit your own commentary, please send your article to
The $328.1 billion[2] 2024 budget for the Department of Veterans Affairs is the largest in agency history. President Joe Biden's 2025 budget for the VA asks for yet another increase to $369.3 billion.
If enacted by Congress, the 2025 proposal would represent a 668% increase in the VA's budget since 2001 and, although over half of the department's annual budget goes toward mandatory spending like disability compensation, the question remains: Have these historic levels of funding translated to improved outcomes for our veterans?
While it is reassuring to see strong governmental commitment to address the challenges veterans face, the VA and other federal agencies need to ensure this funding benefits the people it is meant to serve. We owe it to veterans, their families, caregivers and survivors to make sure these resources are used effectively to improve all aspects of veterans' well-being. If the money is spent on overhead and outcomes don't improve, then it's all for naught.
Our veterans are facing overlapping challenges and need strong support to overcome them. Take veteran suicide: The statistics have remained stagnant for years. Ten years ago, 17.7 veterans killed themselves per day. In 2021[3], the most recent year for which data is available, that number was 17.5, despite heavy VA focus -- and funding -- on the issue.
Veteran homelessness has likewise been unaffected by more money. The rate of veteran homelessness increased by 12%[4] from 2022 to 2023, even as more funding was allocated to the VA and organizations to combat the problem.
Recognizing that more money does not always mean better results, what can the government do to not waste its resources for veterans? For starters, it can improve the transition to civilian life process from the Department of Defense to the VA; continue using community care and local nonprofits that serve as a relief valve when the VA can't serve veterans in a timely manner; and partner with corporations to develop new ways to support veteran employment.
Nearly 250,000 veterans transition[5] back to civilian life each year. While this change is never easy, it's made even more difficult by a confusing and fragmented system involving both the VA and DoD. The Transition Assistance Program[6] (TAP)[7] gives veterans a cookie-cutter assessment that doesn't always match with veterans' individualized needs, and service members often fall through the cracks for lack of a warm hand-off between the DoD and VA. In fact, a report from the Government Accountability Office found that 70% of service members transitioning to civilian life did not start TAP at least 365 days before separation, as required by law. As a result, veterans find themselves navigating the hardships of transitioning without preparation, education or support.
The VA should also look to other resources to get veterans the support they need. For instance, there are federal services[8] that help veterans find employment in the civilian workforce and programs like the HIRE Vets Medallion Program[9] that recognize organizations that hire veterans. There are also nongovernmental organizations and nonprofits like Hire Heroes[10] that work in the private sector to do this work. But the VA could improve connection between these disparate efforts and take a more nimble and creative approach by working directly with organizations to employ veterans and understand the skills that they are looking for in candidates.
Rather than be mired in bureaucracy to the detriment of the veterans it is tasked to serve, engaging and collaborating with the private sector will allow the VA to be more entrepreneurial when it comes to the veteran employment pipeline. These partnerships can also make government contracts more accessible for veterans by streamlining hiring processes and equipping them with the civilian skills they need to succeed in the professional world.
As a retired veteran myself, I know how difficult transitioning can be without strong support. And through my work in veteran organizations such as Mission Roll Call[11], I see how invested so many Americans are in the success of our veterans. Ultimately, this funding increase for the VA comes from tax dollars, and it's up to the DoD and VA to ensure that it goes toward the causes that Americans care about. For the VA to simply ask for budgetary increases comes off as self-serving rather than veteran-serving. The VA and the DoD must work together to ensure veterans get every dollar that this budget promises, through clear support channels during and after transitions.
-- Jim Whaley is the CEO of Mission Roll Call. He is the former director of communications at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. As a 20-year veteran of the Army, his awards and decorations include the Master Army Aviator Badge, Legion of Merit, Air Assault Badge and Humanitarian Service Medal.
© Copyright 2024 Military.com. All rights reserved. This article may not be republished, rebroadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without written permission. To reprint or license this article or any content from Military.com, please submit your request here[12].
The VA and DoD Don't Have a Funding Problem. They Have a Mismanagement Crisis. (Opinion)
The opinions expressed in this op-ed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Military.com. If you would like to submit your own commentary, please send your article to
The $328.1 billion[2] 2024 budget for the Department of Veterans Affairs is the largest in agency history. President Joe Biden's 2025 budget for the VA asks for yet another increase to $369.3 billion.
If enacted by Congress, the 2025 proposal would represent a 668% increase in the VA's budget since 2001 and, although over half of the department's annual budget goes toward mandatory spending like disability compensation, the question remains: Have these historic levels of funding translated to improved outcomes for our veterans?
While it is reassuring to see strong governmental commitment to address the challenges veterans face, the VA and other federal agencies need to ensure this funding benefits the people it is meant to serve. We owe it to veterans, their families, caregivers and survivors to make sure these resources are used effectively to improve all aspects of veterans' well-being. If the money is spent on overhead and outcomes don't improve, then it's all for naught.
Our veterans are facing overlapping challenges and need strong support to overcome them. Take veteran suicide: The statistics have remained stagnant for years. Ten years ago, 17.7 veterans killed themselves per day. In 2021[3], the most recent year for which data is available, that number was 17.5, despite heavy VA focus -- and funding -- on the issue.
Veteran homelessness has likewise been unaffected by more money. The rate of veteran homelessness increased by 12%[4] from 2022 to 2023, even as more funding was allocated to the VA and organizations to combat the problem.
Recognizing that more money does not always mean better results, what can the government do to not waste its resources for veterans? For starters, it can improve the transition to civilian life process from the Department of Defense to the VA; continue using community care and local nonprofits that serve as a relief valve when the VA can't serve veterans in a timely manner; and partner with corporations to develop new ways to support veteran employment.
Nearly 250,000 veterans transition[5] back to civilian life each year. While this change is never easy, it's made even more difficult by a confusing and fragmented system involving both the VA and DoD. The Transition Assistance Program[6] (TAP)[7] gives veterans a cookie-cutter assessment that doesn't always match with veterans' individualized needs, and service members often fall through the cracks for lack of a warm hand-off between the DoD and VA. In fact, a report from the Government Accountability Office found that 70% of service members transitioning to civilian life did not start TAP at least 365 days before separation, as required by law. As a result, veterans find themselves navigating the hardships of transitioning without preparation, education or support.
The VA should also look to other resources to get veterans the support they need. For instance, there are federal services[8] that help veterans find employment in the civilian workforce and programs like the HIRE Vets Medallion Program[9] that recognize organizations that hire veterans. There are also nongovernmental organizations and nonprofits like Hire Heroes[10] that work in the private sector to do this work. But the VA could improve connection between these disparate efforts and take a more nimble and creative approach by working directly with organizations to employ veterans and understand the skills that they are looking for in candidates.
Rather than be mired in bureaucracy to the detriment of the veterans it is tasked to serve, engaging and collaborating with the private sector will allow the VA to be more entrepreneurial when it comes to the veteran employment pipeline. These partnerships can also make government contracts more accessible for veterans by streamlining hiring processes and equipping them with the civilian skills they need to succeed in the professional world.
As a retired veteran myself, I know how difficult transitioning can be without strong support. And through my work in veteran organizations such as Mission Roll Call[11], I see how invested so many Americans are in the success of our veterans. Ultimately, this funding increase for the VA comes from tax dollars, and it's up to the DoD and VA to ensure that it goes toward the causes that Americans care about. For the VA to simply ask for budgetary increases comes off as self-serving rather than veteran-serving. The VA and the DoD must work together to ensure veterans get every dollar that this budget promises, through clear support channels during and after transitions.
-- Jim Whaley is the CEO of Mission Roll Call. He is the former director of communications at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. As a 20-year veteran of the Army, his awards and decorations include the Master Army Aviator Badge, Legion of Merit, Air Assault Badge and Humanitarian Service Medal.
© Copyright 2024 Military.com. All rights reserved. This article may not be republished, rebroadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without written permission. To reprint or license this article or any content from Military.com, please submit your request here[12].
Troops Still Aren't Getting Enough Sleep, and the Defense Department Isn't Taking Responsibility, Watchdog Says
Service members still aren't getting enough sleep, in large part because there's no coherent Pentagon effort to remedy the problem, according to a new report by the Government Accountability Office released this week[1].
The GAO found that fatigue among service members "appeared to be more the rule than the exception," with active-duty troops sleeping less than seven hours nightly twice as often as civilians. That lack of sleep has contributed to safety mishaps, near-misses and numerous deaths[2].
"There's recognition of this [problem] within the military," GAO report author and military readiness expert Diana Maurer told Military.com in a phone interview. "The problem is no one owns it."
Read Next: All US Commissaries Plan to Offer Home Delivery of Groceries Starting in Late Summer[3]
Health experts recommend seven to nine hours of sleep[4] for adults. It's not just quantity: Sleep quality is important[5] too, making it hard for troops with uncomfortable mattresses[6] or pilots dealing with noise and light to get meaningful shut-eye.
Pilots, missileers, aircraft maintainers and vehicle operators all noted in the report how fatigue has led to near-misses at work.
"Sometimes when I'm driving, I find myself falling asleep and I have to catch myself," one vehicle operator said in the report. "I could kill someone on accident because I'm not getting the right sleep."
Despite the military undertaking almost 130 fatigue-related research projects since 2017, most research findings are stovepiped, inhibiting information-sharing and sowing confusion over who within the Defense Department should oversee sleep and fatigue issues. Offices that manage training, readiness, safety and suicide prevention don't share information on fatigue-related events under their purviews either.
"There is universal recognition that it's an area of concern," Maurer said. "Everyone agrees that someone should do it, to take actions to address it, but it wasn't clear who that someone should be.
"So, if no one's in charge of addressing the problem and everyone else thinks someone else's taking care of it, you're not going to see major change," she said.
The report comes as the DoD has recently refused to say whether troops are getting adequate rest time at home[7] between deployments, and as service members are spending more time away from home than ever[8].
Almost 500 deaths, serious injuries and property damage events were reported within the Department of the Navy[9] between 2015 and 2019 -- all related to driving while fatigued, according to the GAO report.
"DoD recognizes that impairment from fatigue can be equivalent to the effects of alcohol intoxication and significantly increases the risk of physical injury," the report says.
In 2017, two disastrous Navy ship collisions[10] led to the deaths of 17 sailors and hundreds of millions of dollars worth of damage. Fatigue was later identified as a contributing factor in both collisions.
It's not just safety that sleep affects. Chronic conditions[11] such as obesity, depression and heart disease can all be spurred by sleeplessness.
The report also noted the links between lack of sleep and increased risk of death by suicide, a longtime struggle for the DoD[12]. It's overlap like this that makes Dr. Vince Mysliwiec, a sleep researcher at University of Texas Health-San Antonio and former sleep medicine consultant to the Army[13]'s surgeon general, wish the DoD would create a stand-alone office to oversee better sleep and human performance practices.
"The implementation of these [best sleep] practices servicewide is what needs to happen," he told Military.com in a phone interview. "They've identified the problem too much."
Mysliwiec added that, while the study captured the need more a more focused effort, it didn't reference two other issues likely affecting some troops struggling with sleep -- alcohol[14] and smartphones[15], both of which are notorious sleep disruptors.
But any actual implementation from new sleep efforts ultimately won't fall to the top brass, Mysliwiec said. It will be up to unit leaders.
"At the end of the day, when the mission is there, you have to recognize the ultimate responsibility for the military is to accomplish the mission," he said. "And then at times, sleep will be sacrificed. But it doesn't have to be sacrificed every day."
-- Kelsey Baker is a graduate student at Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism, and a former active-duty Marine. Reach her on X at @KelsBBaker or
Related: Crew Shortages, Bad Mattresses Causing Navy Surface Sailors to Lose Shut-Eye, Watchdog Says[17]
© Copyright 2024 Military.com. All rights reserved. This article may not be republished, rebroadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without written permission. To reprint or license this article or any content from Military.com, please submit your request here[18].