WhereTaxMoneyGoesDepartment of Veterans Affairs (VA): federal spending, contracts and grants
In fiscal year 2026, Department of Veterans Affairs reported $407.4 billion in obligations and $418.8 billion in outlays, about 3.3% of all budgetary resources tracked on USAspending. Below: where its award money went, who received the most, and how its spending has changed since FY 2017.
FY 2026 figures are still being reported by agencies and will change as late submissions arrive.
Mission
To fulfill President Lincoln's promise "To care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan" by serving and honoring the men and women who are America's veterans.
How VA awarded money in FY 2026
Award obligations are the part of an agency's spending that goes out as contracts, grants, loans, direct payments and other awards to outside recipients. The rest pays for salaries, internal operations and transfers that are not awards.
| Award type | Amount | Relative size |
|---|---|---|
| Direct payments | $227.0 billion | |
| Contracts | $85.8 billion | |
| Grants | $3.7 billion | |
| Other assistance | $2.0 billion | |
| Loans (face value) | $792.9 million | |
| Contract vehicles (IDVs) | $17.2 million |
Obligations by fiscal year
FY 2026 obligations of $407.4 billion were down 1% from FY 2025 ($412.4 billion) and compare with $191.7 billion in FY 2017.
Show the numbers
| Fiscal year | Amount |
|---|---|
| FY 2026 | $407.4 billion |
| FY 2025 | $412.4 billion |
| FY 2024 | $367.9 billion |
| FY 2023 | $324.4 billion |
| FY 2022 | $283.5 billion |
| FY 2021 | $256.9 billion |
| FY 2020 | $244.6 billion |
| FY 2019 | $216.8 billion |
| FY 2018 | $204.8 billion |
| FY 2017 | $191.7 billion |
Top recipients, FY 2026
Ranked by award obligations from VA. "Multiple recipients" groups aggregated or redacted records, such as payments to individuals.
| # | Recipient | Amount | Relative size |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Multiple recipients (aggregated) | $229.3 billion | |
| 2 | Optum Public Sector Solutions, INC. | $22.5 billion | |
| 3 | Mckesson Corporation | $14.6 billion | |
| 4 | Triwest Healthcare Alliance Corp | $11.1 billion | |
| 5 | QTC Medical Services INC | $2.3 billion | |
| 6 | Oracle Health Government Services, INC. | $2.1 billion | |
| 7 | Optumserve Health Services, INC. | $1.9 billion | |
| 8 | Loyal Source Government Services LLC | $1.8 billion | |
| 9 | Veterans Evaluation Services, INC | $1.7 billion | |
| 10 | Medline Industries, LP | $933.2 million |
Top states, FY 2026
By place of performance — where the work is done or the money is used.
| # | State | Amount | Relative size |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Virginia | $48.3 billion | |
| 2 | Texas | $48.0 billion | |
| 3 | Florida | $24.0 billion | |
| 4 | California | $21.5 billion | |
| 5 | North Carolina | $12.0 billion | |
| 6 | Georgia | $11.2 billion | |
| 7 | Illinois | $7.1 billion | |
| 8 | Pennsylvania | $7.0 billion | |
| 9 | Tennessee | $6.9 billion | |
| 10 | New York | $6.6 billion |
Search this agency's awards
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Source data last updated November 4, 2026 · Imported November 6, 2026 · Dollar figures are nominal and rounded. How these numbers are calculated · Report a problem