Audit of VA’s Compliance with Covered Agency Responsibilities for Geospatial Data in FY 2026

The VA Office of Inspector General (OIG) conducted an audit to assess VA’s compliance with covered agency responsibilities for geospatial data under the Geospatial Data Act. This congressionally mandated audit is required at least every two years pursuant to 43 U.S.C. § 2808(c). Compliance with geospatial data laws is essential to improve decision‑making for veteran services, strengthen strategic planning, and ensure high‑quality data for delivering health care and benefits.

Because standards under section 2806 are not yet fully implemented by the Federal Geographic Data Committee and the funding limitation under section 2809 will not apply until five years after standards are implemented, the OIG’s review focused on the 13 requirements in 43 U.S.C. § 2808(a). The OIG found that VA met 10 of the 12 applicable requirements for FY 2026; requirement 10 was not applicable because VA does not collect or use declassified geospatial data.

VA was not compliant with requirement 1 because it has not released an updated spatial and enterprise data strategy aligned with the National Spatial Data Infrastructure Strategic Plan for 2025–2035. VA also did not meet requirement 5 because it has not fully addressed geospatial staffing needs following organizational changes, leaving gaps in governance and critical roles; this is a repeat finding from the prior audit.

VA concurred with the OIG’s three recommendations to support compliance with requirements 1 and 5. The OIG will monitor corrective actions and will close recommendations once VA provides sufficient evidence that it has addressed the risks identified in this report.