2017 Budget Highlights 2017 Budget Breakout

Benefits Claims Processing 

Strengthens Veterans’ benefits programs and sustains progress on the 

disability claims backlog 

 Requests $2.8 billion (up $118 million over 2016) for more efficient

benefits claims processing through technology enhancements, 

improved business processes, and hiring 300 claims processors to 

improve the timeliness of non-rating claims

 Invests $142.9 million for the Veterans Claims Intake Program 

(VCIP) to convert paper claims to digital images into the Veterans 

Benefits Management System (VBMS) to improve claims processing

 Supports completion of 1.4 million disability compensation and 

pension claims, and 4.7 million education claims

 Provides $103.6 billion for mandatory benefits, including disability 

compensation and Post-9/11 GI Bill education benefits

 Requests $103.9 billion for 2018 advance appropriations for three 

mandatory benefits programs (Compensation and Pensions, 

Readjustment Benefits, and Insurance and Indemnities)

Medical Care

Increases access to healthcare and proposes a separate Community 

Care account to facilitate Veterans’ care in the community

 2017 Medical Care: $68.6 billion (including $3.6 billion in collections),

up $3.9 billion over 2016

 2018 Medical Care: $70.0 billion for the 2017 advance appropriation 

(including $3.6 billion in collections), up $1.4 billion over 2017 

 Care in the Community: $12.2 billion, up $1.4 billion from 2015

 Mental Health: $7.8 billion (up $347 million from 2016) to expand 

Veteran inpatient, residential, and outpatient mental health care

 Hepatitis C: $1.5 billion to treat 35,000 Veteran patients

Appeals

Proposes a Simplified Appeals initiative – legislation and resources--

to provide Veterans the timely, fair appeals decisions they deserve

 Provides $156.1 million and 922 FTE for the Board of Veterans 

Appeals (up $46.2 million and 242 FTE over 2016) as a down payment 

on a long-term, sustainable plan to improve services to Veterans

Information Technology

Enhances Veteran access, improves the Veteran experience, and 

strengthens cyber security

 Requests over $4.3 billion (up $145 million over 2016) for an IT 

program that supports modernized information systems

 Invests $370 million for information security to protect Veterans 

information and improve VA’s information networks resilience

 Provides $171 million for development and implementation of the 

Improve Veterans Experience (IVE) initiative

 Includes $260 million for VistA Evolution, Interoperability, and for 

VLER Health -- all to develop an Electronic Healthcare Record to 

better serve Veterans, Servicemembers, and eligible beneficiaries

National Cemetery Administration

 $286.2 million ($15 million over 2016) for operations and 

maintenance of our national cemeteries 

Construction

 Supports seismic corrections at Long Beach, CA and Reno, NV; new 

cemetery construction in Western New York and Southern Colorado; 

and gravesite expansions in Jacksonville, FL and Southern Florida

MyVA Transformation

Reimagines VA’s Relationship with our Veterans through the MyVA 

Initiative

 Continues the largest Department-wide transformation in VA’s 

history through the MyVA initiative, which is changing VA’s 

culture, processes, and capabilities to put the needs, expectations, 

and interests of Veterans and their families first 

VA’s Historical Perspective

VA Discretionary Funding 

by Appropriation

($ in millions)

 VA 2017 Budget Request: Fast Facts

Total VA funding has grown by nearly 86% from 2009