Director’s Message

Kelly Fitzpatrick

ODVA 23-25 Governor’s Recommended Budget and 2023 Legislative Session

In January, the 2023 Regular Legislative Session began as our new governor, Governor Kotek, initiated the final stage of the development of the agency’s 2023-25 biennial budget. The 20232025 Governor’s Recommended Budget for ODVA provides investments in agency programs that address many of the challenges facing today’s veterans across a broad spectrum of needs. It’s important to know that the Governor’s Recommended Budget for all state agencies is just the starting point for consideration by the state legislature. ODVA and other agencies will meet and discuss our budgets with legislators for the next several months as they consider how they want to refine what has been recommended and finalize a Legislatively Approved Budget by the end of the session in late June or early July.

The most urgent needs as prioritized by Governor Kotek are houselessness, behavioral health and access to education. Veteran issues intersect all three of these priorities. The budget also includes funding for key grant programs, special advocacy services for historically underserved veterans, and pass-through funds to ensure veterans have access to free assistance with claims representation in all 36 Oregon counties and on some tribal lands.

While this recommended budget enables ODVA to continue to work with our many partners to address critical gaps in accessing federal VA benefits and other community-based services, it also ensures that the agency’s foundational ORVET Home Loan Servicing IT modernization project progresses. Investments for needed capital investments at the Oregon Veterans’ Home in The Dalles is also included in the recommended budget and will support residents’ health and wellbeing into the future

The Governor’s Recommended Budget provides a total of $421 million in funding to support veteran services with $9.1 million in General Funds and $20.6 million in Lottery Funds allocated to core veteran services, pass-through funding to partners, grants, and special advocacy services for veterans

The agency is scheduled to present the agency’s 2023-25 Governor’s Recommended Budget in March to the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Transportation and Economic Development.

In this first full month of the Legislative Session, a total of 2,337 bills have been introduced and assigned to committees. ODVA is actively tracking more than 130 veteran related bills. Every Friday, the agency releases the Veteran Bill Digest which contains the legislative activity for veteran related bills. To follow bills that ODVA is tracking, consider subscribing or downloading the reports on ODVA’s Legislative webpage

PACT Act

In 2022, the United States Congress passed the PACT Act that expands VA health care and benefits for veterans exposed to burn pits, Agent Orange, and other toxic substances. The PACT