Veterans Affairs
How Veterans Affairs spent its budget in fiscal year 2024-25, on a Volume II appropriations basis.
Department Spending
In FY 2024-25,
$7.65B
was spent by Veterans Affairs
In FY 2024-25,
1.4%
of federal spending was by Veterans Affairs
Veterans Affairs Canada is responsible for providing benefits, services, and support to veterans, still-serving members of the Canadian Armed Forces and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and their families. Its programs include disability benefits and compensation for service-related injury or illness, income support, health and wellness services, and commemorative activities that recognize the service of veterans. The department also administers case management and rehabilitation services intended to help veterans transition to civilian life and manage the lasting effects of their service. The Veterans Review and Appeal Board operates alongside the department as an independent tribunal that hears appeals related to disability benefit decisions, providing veterans with a further avenue of recourse when they disagree with an initial determination.
Veterans Affairs spent $7.65B in the 2024–25 fiscal year, accounting for 1.4% of total federal spending. This places the department among the larger recipients of federal appropriations, reflecting the scale of the benefit and compensation programs it administers on behalf of veterans across the country.
Almost all of this spending was recorded within the Department of Veterans Affairs, with a much smaller amount attributed to the Veterans Review and Appeal Board. Transfer payments make up a large part of the department's activity and are concentrated in a small number of large benefit programs: Pain and Suffering Compensation and Additional Pain and Suffering Compensation, which address the effects of service-related disability; the Income Replacement Benefit, which supports veterans' income; long-standing pensions for disability and death administered under the Pension Act and related authorities; and the Housekeeping and Grounds Maintenance program, which helps eligible veterans remain in their homes and communities. Together, these programs form the core of the department's direct financial support to veterans and their families.
How did Veterans Affairs spend its budget in 2024-25?
Spending by entity, FY 2024-25
Department of Veterans Affairs
Veterans Review and Appeal Board
$7.63B
$21.3M
Veterans Affairs’s share of federal spending
Percentage of federal spending, 2014–2025
Line items
Complete appropriation (vote/allotment) and transfer-payment lines, in dollars. Search, sort, and download the full table.
| Vote | Description | Total available | Used ▼ | Lapsed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vote 5 | Grants and contributions | $5,713,874,741 | $5,579,881,063 | $133,993,678 |
| Vote 1 | Operating expenditures | $2,024,504,325 | $2,001,439,955 | $23,064,370 |
| Statutory amounts | Statutory amounts | $48,782,741 | $48,722,167 | $60,574 |
| Vote 1 | Program expenditures | $20,364,389 | $19,041,506 | $1,322,883 |
| Statutory amounts | Statutory amounts | $2,219,101 | $2,219,101 | $0 |
Explore other federal departments
Veterans Affairs figures are on a Volume II appropriations basis and will not match the Volume I consolidated headline totals. See the methodology for details.
