Honestly, trying to keep up with the firehose of information coming out of Washington is a full-time job. If you’ve spent any time looking at veterans affairs news releases lately, you know they can be a mix of dry bureaucratic updates and massive, life-altering policy shifts. It’s a lot to wade through.
Just this past week, on January 15, 2026, the VA dropped a major announcement about a new commission aimed at finding a permanent leader for the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA). This isn't just another empty suit filling a seat. The VBA handles the massive backlog of claims—which, according to recent data, has been cut by about 60% since early 2025.
The Big Reorganization Nobody’s Talking About
There is a massive shift happening right now within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). You might have missed the December 2025 release where the VA officially announced a plan to tear down layers of middle-management bureaucracy.
The goal?
Empower local hospital directors. Basically, the VA wants to stop the "telephone game" where policies get mangled as they travel from D.C. to your local clinic. They are looking to prune about 35,000 unfilled positions, mostly in administrative roles, to lean out the system. However, some veterans’ advocates and lawmakers are worried these cuts might accidentally hit front-line staff like nurses and docs. It's a delicate balance.
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Why Recent Veterans Affairs News Releases Matter for Your Wallet
If you’re receiving disability compensation, you probably noticed a bump in your check starting January 1, 2026. That 2.8% Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) was officially finalized in late 2025. It’s a modest increase, sure, but in this economy, every bit counts.
But there’s a catch coming for students.
Starting this month, January 2026, the VA is getting stricter about enrollment verification. If you’re using GI Bill benefits or the Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational Assistance (Chapter 35), you now have to verify your enrollment every single month to keep the checks coming. If you forget, the money stops. It's an annoying extra step, but the VA claims it's necessary to prevent overpayments that they eventually have to claw back from you later.
The Electronic Health Record (EHR) Headache
Remember that "modern" electronic health record system that’s been in the news for years? It’s back. After a long period of stagnation, the VA announced they are accelerating the rollout again.
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Facilities in Michigan—specifically Ann Arbor, Battle Creek, Detroit, and Saginaw—are on deck for mid-2026. The department is trying to move away from the ancient 30-year-old software they currently use, but the transition has been notoriously rocky. If you're a patient at one of these facilities, expect some "growing pains" in your digital portal over the next year.
New Rules for Community Care
There’s also some big news regarding where you can get your healthcare. The VA just released a massive Request for Proposals (RFP) for new community care contracts.
Basically, the current contracts for non-VA providers are expiring in 2026. The new plan is to use an "indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity" (IDIQ) structure. That’s a fancy way of saying they want to give veterans more choices by letting multiple regional health plans compete to serve you. If it works, you get better access to local specialists. If it doesn’t, it’s more paperwork.
What’s Happening with Disability Ratings?
We’ve also been tracking some movement on the VA Schedule for Rating Disabilities (VASRD). The GAO (Government Accountability Office) just released a report in mid-January 2026 pointing out that the VA is still using outdated criteria for 4 out of 15 body systems.
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They’ve been working on this for ten years.
The VA says they'll finish updating the rest of the systems—like the respiratory and auditory schedules—by the end of fiscal year 2026. This matters because it changes how your disability percentage is calculated. If the criteria change, your rating could technically be impacted during a re-evaluation.
Actionable Steps for Veterans Right Now
It’s easy to feel like these veterans affairs news releases are just noise, but they contain the keys to your benefits. Here is what you should actually do:
- Verify your school enrollment: If you're a student, check your email or the VA portal today. If you don't verify by the end of the month, your February payment will be delayed.
- Check the COLA update: Look at your January bank statement. Ensure the 2.8% increase was actually applied to your disability or pension payment.
- Watch the Michigan EHR rollout: If you live in the Great Lakes region, start familiarizing yourself with the new Oracle Health portal before the mid-2026 switch.
- Monitor Community Care changes: If you see a non-VA doctor, keep an eye out for letters regarding "Contract Changes" in late 2026. Your doctor may need to re-register under the new IDIQ system.
The landscape is shifting toward a more "lean" VA that focuses on local control and updated digital systems. While the reduction in bureaucracy sounds good on paper, the real test will be whether your wait times at the local clinic actually go down. Keep an eye on the official press room, but more importantly, keep an eye on your benefits portal. Changes are moving faster than they have in years.
To stay ahead, make sure your contact information is updated in the VA.gov system so you don't miss the specific notices that follow these broad announcements. This ensures you’re never caught off guard by a policy shift that affects your healthcare or housing.