Houston VA receives funding for continued infrastructure improvements
PRESS RELEASE
July 20, 2026
Houston, TX - The Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center received funding for Non-recurring Maintenance projects in the third quarter of fiscal year 2026, after receiving funds earlier in the year.
The funding is part of a record $4.8 billion in nationwide VA spending to modernize, repair, and improve health care facilities in FY2026 via the Veterans Health Administration’s Non-recurring Maintenance program.
Funding projects for Houston VA Medical Center in the third quarter of FY2026 are:
- Repair Natural Gas Line by Boiler Plant
- Repair Underground Water Lines B109 and B125
- Repair Water Lines by B105 and B125
- Replace OR Chillers
- Replace/Upgrade Campus Overhead Paging System
- Upgrade Cooling Towers B104
- Upgrade Sewer Distribution System 2nd - 6th FL B-100
- Upgrade/Replace Heat Exchanger Systems B109 and B110
“This funding allows the Houston VA Health Care System to continue modernizing and improving, so our facility remains safe, efficient, and equipped to provide high-quality care for our Veterans in southeast Texas,” said Amir Farooqi, Executive Director of the Houston VA Medical Center.
Of the total $4.8 billion committed for fiscal year 2026, VA has obligated a total of $2.2 billion. That obligation of funds in the third quarter includes:
- $915 million to repair and upgrade outdated infrastructure systems in medical facilities.
- $229 million for maintenance and modernization of facility infrastructure to support future electronic health record system updates.
- $11 million for major building upgrades like elevators, electrical systems, and boiler plants.
This investment is just one of many ways the Trump Administration is making VA work better for Veterans. For example, VA has:
- Enrolled more than 180,000 new Veterans in VA health care in 2026.
- Opened 38 new VA health care facilities since Jan. 20, 2025, expanding health care access for Veterans around the country.
- Reduced the backlog of Veterans waiting for VA benefits by 72% since Jan. 20, 2025, after it increased 24% during the Biden Administration. In February, this backlog fell to less than 100,000 claims for the first time since 2020.
- Offered Veterans more than 2.8 million appointments outside of normal operating hours. These early-morning, evening, and weekend appointments are giving Veterans more timely and convenient options for care.
- Permanently housed 51,936 homeless Veterans across the country in FY25, the highest total in seven years.
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