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Department Projects
The AZDAV 2026-2029 Three Year Plan:
Supporting Chapters and Communities
FY2027 Department Projects
August 2026
Donation to the Charitable Service Trust in the name of the late Past National Commander Al Linden
At this year's National Convention, Department of Arizona will present a donation of $1,000.00 in honor and remembrance of Past National Commander, the late Al Linden.
August 2026
Donation to the Charitable Service Trust in the name of the late Past National Commander Wally Tyson
At this year's National Convention, Department of Arizona will present a donation of $1,000.00 in honor and remembrance of Past National Commander, the late Wally Tyson.
August 2026
Donation to the Charitable Service Trust in honor of Past National Commander Andy Marshall
At this year's National Convention, Department of Arizona will present a donation of $2,500.00 in honor of the decades of honorable and dedicated service of Past National Commander Andy Marshall.
August 2026
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At the 2027 National Convention, Department of Arizona will present a donation of $10,000 for the National Disaster Relief Program. When disasters strike, DAV and its team of National Service Officers are on the ground to help our nation’s heroes. DAV provides relief through financial assistance as well as supply kits to veterans and their families so they can obtain basic necessities such as food, warm clothes and shelter.
Donation to Support the National Disaster Relief Program
August 2026
Donation to Support the National Caregiver Support Program
At this year's National Convention, Department of Arizona will present a donation of $10,000 for the National Caregiver Support Program. DAV Caregivers Support provides tailored support and resources to friends, family members and loved ones who provide care to those who served, or to veterans who may be caring for a loved one. And you do not have to jump through all the hoops required to qualify for the VA's Caregiver Benefits.
Click image to view video
August 2026
With the resounding success of the remote claims program in Piñon, the demand for claims service has rocketed upward as more and more Navajo Veterans learn of the success from their fellow Veterans. In August 2026, Department will again travel to the Navajo Nation--this time to Ganado, in the south--and install a remote claims station with a Starlink Internet system, for which Department will pay the first two years of service.
October 2026
Globe is being served twice each month by an in-person DAV Chapter 8 Chapter Service Officer. As such, as a way to extend reach into the rural area south of Globe, the remote service office will be transitioned to Kearny, AZ, over an hour south of Globe.
October 2026
Shipping Containers for Storage and Distribution of Donations in Pinon and Chinle
On September 22, 2026, the DEC approved the expenditure of up to $15,000 for the purchase of three 8' x 8' x 40' shipping containers, along with shelving to run down one side of each container for sorting of donations and easy access during days when donations are distributes on the Reservation by the ANVA.
October 2026
>>> Now December 2026
With the resounding success of the remote claims program in Piñon, the demand for claims service has rocketed upward as more and more. The Hopi Reservation Veterans have learned of the success in the Navajo Nation and have expressed an interest in having a remote claims station to serve Veterans in the Hopi and Western Navajo Reservations. We will be traveling there in December to install a remote claims station in Tuba City with a Starlink Internet system with 2 years of paid service.
November 2026
November 4th and 5th, DAV Department of Arizona and our National Service Office in Phoenix will hold a two-day event on the Navajo Nation to provide information and VA claims service to the Navajo Veteran Community.
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On November 4th, the event will start off in Chinle with a seminar for the Veteran Community presented by Phoenix National Service Office, Region 12 Supervisor, and Army Veteran Aunjel Smith. Following the seminar, a group of Certified Service Officers from around Arizona will provide VA benefits counseling and claims service.
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On November 5th, our Service Officers will split up to provide services in the morning at all three of our remote service offices on the Navajo Nation: Piñon, Kayenta, and Ganado.
January 2027
One 12-passenger Van Donation for Navajo Nation Veteran Transportation Program
With the number of Veteran patients living on the Navajo Nation in Arizona-- an estimated 30,221 total--the level of poverty in the Navajo Nation makes transportation for many Veterans extremely challenging. Many Veterans do not have access to a personal vehicle--or one that runs. By donating a 12-passenger van to the All-Navajo Veteran Auxiliary, in company with the Pinon Veteran Wellness Center, Navajo drivers will be able to serve Navajo Veterans. The result will be improved physical and mental health for Veterans and their families--necessary services that have been lacking for decades...
On September 22, 2026, the DEC approved up to $60,000 for the purchase of this type of AWD, 12-passenger van for the ANVA.
January 2027
There are no current DAV Chapters within reasonable traveling distance to provide in-person services to the Tohono O’odham Nation. Although Chapter 4 is technically the closest chapter (60 mi) to the Tohono O’odham tribal offices in Sell, AZ, the Tohono O’odham Nation falls within the service area of Chapter 38 (72 mi) and an hour and a half drive from Sahuarita. Sells, AZ, the tribal center of the Tohono O’odham Nation, has a single state highway for access and a roundabout route to get there. Sells has limited resources (spotty cell service and no Internet at the proposed location) but has opportunities to partner with Nation facilities for security and claimant access hours. Department will be installing a remote claims station in Sells, along with a Starlink Internet system and two years of paid service.
Ordered September 2026
January 2027
3 Vehicles for the AZ Volunteer Transportation Network
With the number of patients living in rural areas and needing transportation as a relatively high percentage of our population, the TC/HSCs have requested Explorers as a more suitable solution for those more remote patients. This is especially true with the NAVAHCS (Prescott) VTN because of the inclement weather that occurs during the winter months and a 4WD Explorer adds a measure of safety for both drivers and passengers. With this investment, Department will be purchasing three Ford Explorers: 1 RWD for SAVHCS (Tucson), 1 RWD for PVAHCS (Phoenix), and 1 4WD for NAVAHCS (Prescott).
February 2027
There are no current DAV Chapters within reasonable traveling distance to provide in-person services to the tribal center at Fort Apache. The area is currently served by Chapter 8 (Mesa), Chapter 26 (Benson) and Department. The White Mountain Apache Reservation, with the tribal center located in Fort Apache, has a single state highway for access, and is over 3 hours east of Phoenix. Fort Apache has available resources (cell service, Internet) and remote claims location may be in the Whiteriver Indian Health Service Complex.
February 2027
There are no current DAV Chapters within reasonable traveling distance to provide in-person services to the tribal center in Peridot. The area is currently served by Chapter 8 (Mesa), Chapter 26 (Benson) and Department. The San Carlos Apache Reservation, with the tribal center located in Peridot, has a single state highway for access, and is over 2 ½ hours east of Phoenix. Peridot has available resources (cell service, Internet) and remote claims location may be in the PFC Michael A. Noline Community Center.
March 2027
There are no current DAV Chapters within reasonable traveling distance to provide in-person services to Veterans in Lukachukai.
Long ago, the rivers coming from the Buffalo Pass Gorge and Totsoh (Big Water) Gorge of the Lukachukai-Chuska Mountain range, flowed into a large lake right where our community is now. And every spring, on the east shore of that lake, against the mountain as far as the eye could see, grew a plant known as reed (lok’aa’) similar to that of corn. The reed grew in abundance and during the fall seasons, all-at-once the reed stalks turned to its autumn foliage of yellow-white. From a distance away, the colors of the autumn foliage along the mountain’s base, displayed a white streak that extended out of the Buffalo Pass gorge, along with the east lakeshore and against the mountain (ch’ee gai), thus the name our community was born, Lok’aa ch’eegai OR Lukachukai.
Though the lake and the plant no longer exist here, the rivers, mountains and valleys remain. And throughout the generations hence, many families, livestock, and wildlife have settled here and call it our hometown.
April 2027
Second Handicap-capable Golf Cart for Transporting Veterans at SAVAHCS (Tucson)
The Tucson VA (SAVAHCS) requested assistance from Department of Arizona to acquire handicapped-capable golf carts—golf carts with wheelchair lifts—for patient transport on the SAVAHCS Campus. Provided that the initial cart meets usage requirements and doesn’t just sit and collect dust, a second such golf cart is planned to be purchased in September 2026.
April 2027
Our first remote service "office" was established in February 2026 at the Pinon Veterans Wellness Center Hogan. While it provided a sheltered location for Veterans to come in and receive service via our videoconferencing system, it is one large space that lacks a private office area for conducting interviews with claimants.
A proposal was approved on September 22, 2026, to spend up to $70,000 to acquire, transport, set onto a plot of land near the Pinon Hogan, and have utility connections completed for up to a 24' x 60' structure.
May 2027
Donation to the Unified Arizona Veterans Scholarship Program
Historically, funding for the UAV Veteran Scholarships came from annual donations and grants by various agencies and organizations. To provide a stable, long-term funding source for these scholarships, the UAV Veteran Scholarship Program was created. Starting in 2026, the founders of UAV—DAV, VFW, and American Legion (“Big 3”)—will each provide $30,000 over a three-year period to the program. At the end of the three-year period, this fund will exceed $100,000, at which point the program will fund the three $5,000 scholarships from dividend revenue without impacting the program's principal. DAV Department of Arizona will provide $15,000 per year into this fund over two years.
May 15, 2027
Fund and Conduct Veterans Resource Fair in Globe, AZ
We will be honored at this event to have Disabled American Veterans National Veteran of the Year, Samantha "Sam" Juan with us, to relate her journey and how Art helped her find her way back! This is a special opportunity to interact with a true hero!
The Veterans Resource Fair will offer hands-on support with VA benefits, employment, education, caregiver programs, health care (screenings, mental health, dental by local providers), housing resources and contacts, shower trailer(s), and immediate needs (food, hygiene kits, haircuts).
Opportunities for connecting with local DAV Service Officers, members, and community groups are designed to provide holistic support and immediate resources for Veterans and their families. ...more to come...
