By By Dan Hounsell

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has been reconsidering its size and scope lately as it reviews its aging stock of facilities and the services they provide veterans. Now, a likely influx of billions of dollars has upended that process and given VA officials hope that the influx will help address its backlog of deferred maintenance.

President Biden’s $2.25 trillion infrastructure plan includes $18 billion in improvements to VA medical facilities, according to The Hill. Of the sweeping package meant to invest in domestic infrastructure and create jobs over eight years a portion of it will go toward “vastly improving our nation’s federal facilities, especially those that serve veterans,” according to the White House, adding that the VA’s hospital portfolio has a median age of 58. A senior administration official tsaid the $18 billion will go toward a “backlog of high-efficiency projects that would help increase the health security of our veterans,” through modernizing existing VA hospitals and clinics or building new ones. The White House has not revealed specific VA projects the money would fund.