The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced on Wednesday that it will spend $4.8 billion in fiscal year (FY) 2026 to modernize and improve health care facilities, including a $1 billion investment for the maintenance and modernization of electronic health record (EHR) systems.
The $4.8 billion investment is part of the Veterans Health Administration’s Non-Recurring Maintenance (NRM) program, which makes infrastructure improvements to health care facilities to support effective patient care. The VA said this is the largest single-year NRM investment in the department’s history.
“Under President Trump, VA is putting Veterans first, and this historic investment underscores that fact,” VA Secretary Doug Collins said in a Jan. 28 press release. “Improved facilities, equipment and infrastructure mean better care for Veterans, and these funds will enable VA to achieve that goal.”
The funding covers $2.8 billion to repair and upgrade outdated infrastructure systems in VA medical facilities nationwide.
It also includes $1 billion “for maintenance and modernization of electronic health record systems, including facility preparation for future EHRM updates,” according to the release.
The VA’s Electronic Health Record Modernization (EHRM) program aims to give veterans a seamless transition from receiving care under the Department of Defense to receiving care under the VA while using a single fully integrated EHR system.
According to the full list of projects for the first quarter of FY2026 – which totals $468 million – some of these EHRM updates include data center upgrades, infrastructure upgrades, the installation of next-gen WiFi, project support services, and training and admin space support.
Notably, the VA is preparing to resume deployments of its EHRM program to 13 sites in FY2026, beginning in April with four Michigan facilities: Ann Arbor, Battle Creek, Detroit, and Saginaw.
The VA said the NRM investment will also cover $500 million for “major building upgrades like elevators, electrical systems, and boiler plants.” It will also include $500 million to modernize medical centers for “current and future care.”