Begay calls for stronger support for Navajo veterans in transition

Donovan Begay used a veterans forum at San Juan College in Farmington to push one of the sharpest policy arguments yet in the Navajo Nation presidential race: former service members need a clearer path from discharge to civilian life, with faster help on benefits, housing and health care.

Begay, a Marine Corps veteran, argued that too many veterans come home without enough information to know what they qualify for or how to get it. He drew on his own experience after leaving the military, saying college and the GI Bill helped him regain structure, but that he learned too late about the GI Bill home-loan program. Outreach should happen earlier, before veterans lose time, money and opportunities.

The Navajo Nation spans more than 25,000 square miles across Arizona, New Mexico and Utah, and the Navajo Area serves more than 244,000 American Indians through five federal service units, according to the Indian Health Service. Chinle Comprehensive Health Care Facility is a 60-bed hospital and regional health-care hub, while Shiprock is the largest geographical service unit in the Navajo Area system.

For veterans, those distances and handoffs can make appointments, referrals and benefits navigation harder than they should be. Begay framed his agenda around practical support, including jobs, health care and housing, rather than ceremonial talk about service.

The Farmington forum was part of the Navajo Presidential Forum at San Juan College. Thirteen Navajo Nation presidential candidates took part in the Tónaneesdizí Local Government presidential forum in Tuba City on June 16.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs works with tribal governments to improve access to services and benefits, and its Office of Tribal Health was established in December 2021 to support American Indian and Alaska Native veteran health care and access. The VA's Native American Direct Loan program has existed since 1992 and can help eligible Native veterans and spouses buy, build or improve homes on federal trust land.

A 2025 Navajo Times report estimated that more than 30,000 military veterans live on the Navajo Nation. The Navajo Nation Veterans Administration was advancing housing progress and reforms.