Begay pushes veterans support, health care at Farmington forum
At a Farmington forum, Donovan Begay put veterans’ benefits, housing and care in front of a crowded Navajo presidential field.
At San Juan College in Farmington, Donovan Begay used the Navajo Presidential Forum to press the Navajo Nation on veterans support and health care, saying former service members still struggle to navigate civilian life, access benefits and find stable housing. The Friday, June 19 forum ran from noon to 5 p.m. Veterans-related issues were on the agenda.
Begay’s pitch landed in a crowded race with 16 candidates for Navajo Nation president, with a primary set for July 21 and the top two advancing to the Nov. 3 general election. McKinley County families depend on a mix of tribal, federal, county and private services to get care, disability help and transportation to appointments.
More than 30,000 military veterans are estimated to live on the Navajo Nation, and the Navajo Nation Office of the President and Vice President assisted 194 veterans in 2025 in securing U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs benefits. Navajo Nation Veterans Administration service officers help veterans, eligible dependents and survivors prepare, present and submit VA claims, and housing, health care, jobs, benefits and transportation are part of the mission on the Nation’s veterans priority page.
Long trips and wait times can make routine care difficult to reach in Gallup, Fort Defiance, Crownpoint and Shiprock. The Northern Arizona VA Health Care System has used a mobile medical clinic at outreach events across Navajo Nation communities. The clinic can provide services including drawing blood, taking X-rays and prescribing medication at those events.
Local groups are trying to fill gaps too. Diné Naazbaa Partnership coordinates services for veterans that include housing, employment, VA e-benefits enrollment and health care. In Shiprock, a veterans nonprofit is working to turn a vacant industrial building into a manufacturing site for affordable housing materials.
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