Diné veterans set to receive $8.4 million in trust fund assistance

By Karen Francis
Special to the Times

WINDOW ROCK

Navajo veterans registered with the Navajo Nation Veterans Administration may be eligible for up to $1,629.77 in financial assistance under a plan to use the Navajo Nation Veterans Trust Fund allocation next fiscal year.

The Navajo Nation has set aside $8,443,885 from the Veterans Trust Fund for fiscal 2026. Bobbie Ann Baldwin, the executive director of the Veterans Administration, reported that 5,181 participants are eligible to receive assistance from that amount.

Baldwin presented a report Tuesday to the Budget and Finance Committee titled “Veterans Trust Funds Allocation for Fiscal Year 2026 and Veteran Count Breakdown.”

According to the report, eligible participants include 3,803 male veterans, 710 female veterans, 666 surviving spouses and two Gold Star mothers. Each participant will be eligible for $1,629.77 in financial assistance.

The Northern Agency has the highest number of participants, 1,522, and will receive $2,480,510 from the trust fund. The Eastern Agency has the lowest number of participants, 726, and will receive $1,183,213. The Central Agency, with 867 participants, will receive $1,413,011. The Western Agency has 1,024 participants and will receive $1,668,931. The Fort Defiance Agency has 1,042 participants and will receive $1,698,220.

To read the full article, please see the Aug. 28, 2025, edition of the Navajo Times.

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