VA Infrastructure Investment Creates Opportunities to Build, Serve and Support Veterans
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is making a historic investment in the facilities that serve America’s veterans—and that investment could also create important opportunities for skilled tradespeople, union contractors and veteran-owned businesses.
In July 2026, the VA announced the approval of $1.2 billion in infrastructure improvements during the third quarter of fiscal year 2026. The funding is part of a record $4.8 billion in non-recurring maintenance investments planned for the year—the largest annual maintenance budget in the department’s history.
These investments demonstrate how infrastructure development can achieve two connected goals: improving the environments where veterans receive care while creating responsible construction, contracting and career opportunities in the communities surrounding VA facilities.
What the VA Investment Will Support
Through the third quarter of fiscal year 2026, the VA had obligated approximately $2.3 billion of its planned infrastructure funding.
The latest allocation includes:
$915 million to repair and upgrade outdated infrastructure systems at medical facilities.
$229 million to modernize facilities in preparation for future electronic health record system improvements.
$11 million for major building upgrades involving elevators, electrical systems and boiler plants.
Projects of this scale can require electricians, operating engineers, plumbers, pipefitters, boilermakers, carpenters, laborers, bricklayers, cement masons, ironworkers and other highly trained construction professionals.
They may also create opportunities for project managers, safety professionals, engineers, technology specialists, suppliers and veteran-owned businesses.
Why Responsible Contracting Matters
VA hospitals and healthcare facilities serve veterans at some of the most important and vulnerable moments of their lives. The construction and modernization of these facilities must therefore prioritize quality, safety, accountability and long-term value.
Union apprenticeship and training programs help prepare workers to complete complex infrastructure projects safely and professionally. These programs provide structured classroom instruction, supervised jobsite experience and continuing education in areas such as workplace safety, emerging technology and industry certifications.
When public investments support responsible contractors and a highly trained workforce, communities can benefit from:
Safer and more reliable construction.
Family-sustaining careers with benefits.
Greater accountability and workmanship.
Apprenticeship opportunities for the next generation.
Stronger pathways for veterans entering civilian careers.
Long-term economic activity within surrounding communities.
This is not simply about completing construction projects. It is about ensuring that public investments generate meaningful and measurable benefits for veterans, workers and local communities.
Opportunities for Veteran-Owned Businesses
The VA’s Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization works to expand federal contracting participation among procurement-ready Veteran-Owned Small Businesses and Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses.
The office provides contracting guidance, training, technical assistance, upcoming procurement information and access to local VA Small Business Liaisons.
Veteran entrepreneurs and contractors should begin preparing before individual projects are formally advertised. Important steps may include:
Reviewing the VA Forecast of Contracting Opportunities.
Confirming that all federal registrations and business certifications are current.
Connecting with regional VA Small Business Liaisons.
Identifying potential prime contractors and subcontracting partners.
Developing a clear capability statement.
Documenting relevant experience, safety performance and available workforce capacity.
The VA’s contracting forecast represents its best estimate of potential fiscal-year opportunities and is intended for advance planning. Listings can be revised or canceled and do not represent formal solicitations, but they can help businesses identify projects and prepare before procurement begins.
Connecting Infrastructure Investment to Veteran Careers
For veterans transitioning out of military service, the skilled trades can provide more than employment.
Union apprenticeship programs can offer:
Structured training and clearly defined career progression.
Earn-while-you-learn opportunities.
Mentorship from experienced tradespeople.
Healthcare and retirement benefits.
A renewed sense of teamwork, mission and belonging.
Opportunities to apply leadership, discipline and technical experience developed during military service.
Veterans frequently leave the military with valuable skills but may not know how those skills translate into civilian occupations. Partnerships involving unions, Helmets to Hardhats, veteran-service organizations, workforce agencies and responsible contractors can help bridge that gap.
A veteran should not have to navigate the transition to a new career alone.
The Vets4Vets Community Construction Project
The ULA Network Foundation’s Vets4Vets Community Construction Project demonstrates how the construction industry can serve veterans at the neighborhood level.
The initiative brings together union veterans, apprentices, contractors, training programs and community partners to help assess and remediate VFW posts, American Legion halls, veteran facilities and other community spaces serving those who served.
Vets4Vets projects are designed to create several forms of impact simultaneously:
Community Impact
Remediation projects help veteran organizations maintain safer, more functional and more welcoming facilities where veterans can gather, access services and receive peer support.
Workforce Impact
Projects introduce veterans and younger participants to union construction careers, apprenticeship programs and the many occupations involved in completing a successful building project.
Educational Impact
Apprentices and students can gain exposure to project assessment, planning, safety, budgeting, scheduling and hands-on construction processes.
Peer-Support Impact
Veterans work alongside other veterans and union members who understand the importance of camaraderie, trust and service.
Economic Impact
Responsible construction supports skilled employment, local contractors, suppliers and workforce-development partnerships.
The Vets4Vets model shows that a remediation project can become much more than a repair. It can become an educational experience, a workforce-development opportunity and a visible demonstration that the union construction community stands behind America’s veterans.
Building a Stronger Regional Pipeline
The VA’s infrastructure investment presents an opportunity for labor organizations, veteran groups and workforce partners to become more coordinated.
Regional stakeholders should consider working together to:
Identify upcoming VA and veteran-facility construction opportunities.
Connect veteran-owned contractors with union labor and apprenticeship programs.
Introduce transitioning service members to skilled-trades careers.
Organize contractor-readiness and procurement workshops.
Promote direct-entry and apprenticeship-readiness resources.
Develop community remediation projects that provide practical training and service opportunities.
Track the jobs, apprenticeship placements, contractor participation and community benefits generated through these investments.
The goal should be to build a sustainable pipeline connecting infrastructure investment, responsible contracting, veteran entrepreneurship and union career opportunities.
Building for Those Who Served
America’s veterans deserve healthcare facilities that are safe, modern and equipped to provide high-quality care.
They also deserve access to careers, benefits, mentorship and business opportunities after their military service has ended.
The VA’s record infrastructure investment can help accomplish both objectives—but only when labor organizations, contractors, veteran-service groups and community partners remain informed, prepared and engaged.
Through the Vets4Vets Community Construction Project, the ULA Network Foundation will continue bringing partners together to improve veteran-serving facilities, introduce veterans to meaningful career pathways and demonstrate the positive economic and social impact of union construction.
Together, we can build stronger facilities, stronger careers and stronger communities for those who served.
Get Involved
Union organizations, apprenticeship programs, veteran-owned contractors, sponsors and community partners are invited to support the Vets4Vets Community Construction Project.
Opportunities include:
Nominating a VFW post, American Legion hall or veteran-serving facility for project consideration.
Providing skilled volunteers, materials, equipment or professional services.
Sponsoring a remediation project or workforce-development initiative.
Connecting veterans with apprenticeship, employment and business resources.
Helping document and measure the community impact of completed projects.
Support. Educate. Promote.
To learn more, visit https://news.va.gov/
The Union Labor Advisory Network (ULAnetwork) is a mission-driven media and workforce development platform dedicated to supporting, educating, and promoting union labor and the communities it serves. Through strategic storytelling, charitable initiatives, apprenticeship awareness, veterans programming, and cross-sector partnerships, ULAnetwork advances high-road economic development models rooted in strong union careers. http://www.ulanetwork.com Subscribe to the ULA Network for more interviews, insights, and inspiration about union labor, skilled trades, and the opportunities waiting for you in the construction industry!
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