Glassbox VA · geography
What VA reports spending in each state, next to what the award record shows.
VA's National Center for Veterans Analysis and Statistics publishes the Geographic Distribution of VA Expenditures (GDX) every year. This page lines it up, state by state and category by category, with the obligations VA reported to USAspending.gov — only where the two measure the same programs. In FY2022, the compared categories cover $147.9B of the $266.8B GDX reports for the states, DC, Puerto Rico and Guam; USAspending shows $148.3B for the same categories (100.2%).
In FY2022, excluding construction, 153 of 158 compared state-category cells agree within tolerance; the largest gap is Alaska (Education & Vocational Rehabilitation/Employment), $4.7M or 0.91% of its compared GDX.
Construction is excluded from the gap by default because it is only partly comparable (multi-year obligations against annual expenditures; its FY2022 tolerance band is 3.0%–3163%). The categories in the gap are Compensation & Pension, Education & Vocational Rehabilitation/Employment, Insurance & Indemnities. A gap is a difference between two public measures (expenditures and obligations) to review, not a finding. For FY2022, VA states that GDX took Compensation & Pension and Education figures from USAspending itself, so agreement in those categories is expected, not independent confirmation.
Reconciliation gap · FY2022 · construction excluded
Sum of |USAspending − GDX| over the compared categories, as a share of the state's GDX in those categories. Dark = the two sources agree; bright = a larger gap.
Gap as a share of compared GDX · fixed breaks, the same every year
- Under 0.1%
- 0.1%–0.5%
- 0.5%–1%
- 1%–2%
- 2%–5%
- 5%–15%
- 15% or more
- No compared category this year
Source: VA NCVAS GDX FY2022 (GDX_FY22.xlsx) · USAspending.gov award data archive (VA, agency 036), net obligations by action-date FY · states, DC, Puerto Rico and Guam · figures by state in the table below.
FY2022 at a glance
- Compared state × category cells within tolerance (all compared categories, construction included)
- 196 of 202
- Variances to review
- 6 in 6 states
GDX FY2022: Prepared by the National Center for Veterans Analysis and Statistics, April 2023 · GDX_FY22.xlsx. USAspending transactions loaded for all 12 months of FY2022: assistance yes, contracts yes.
- GDX expenditure
- VA's estimate of money spent in the fiscal year, by state (an expenditure measure, closer to outlays than to obligations; VA notes it can differ from both), from VA's Geographic Distribution of VA Expenditures report.
- USAspending obligations
- Net obligations recorded on USAspending.gov in the same fiscal year (sum of every transaction's federal action obligation), for the programs mapped to the same GDX category.
- Coverage ratio
- USAspending ÷ GDX. 100% means the award record accounts for the same dollars VA reports as spent. Obligations and expenditures are different measures, so exact agreement is not expected.
National · FY2022
Category by category
National figures sum every GDX geography (including rows VA lists as other territories, foreign or unknown). The tolerance band is set per category from the spread of all states' ratios; the national ratio shows definitional and timing differences that move every state together and therefore flag none.
| Category | GDX expenditure | USAspending obligations | National ratio | Tolerance band (median) | States | Comparability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Compensation & Pension | $134.6B | $134.7B | 100.0% | 100.0%–100.1% (100.0%) | 53 within · 0 to review | Compared |
| Education & Vocational Rehabilitation/Employment | $10.8B | $11.0B | 102.7% | 97.6%–108.0% (102.8%) | 48 within · 5 to review | Compared |
| Insurance & Indemnities | $856M | $866M | 101.2% | 99.2%–101.9% (100.4%) | 52 within · 0 to review | Compared |
| Construction | $1.7B | $2.0B | 113.0% | 3.0%–3163% (107.3%) | 43 within · 1 to review | Partly comparable (directional) |
| Medical Care | $103.7B | — | — | — | Not comparable | Not compared |
| General Operating Expenses | $13.0B | — | — | — | Not comparable | Not compared |
| Loan Guaranty | $2.1B | — | — | — | Not comparable | Not compared |
Variances to review · FY2022
Where the two sources differ beyond tolerance
Each row is a state and category whose ratio sits outside the band set by all states that year, by at least 5 points and $1M. The structural explanation lists the known reasons two correct datasets differ; none is a finding.
| State | Category | GDX | USAspending | Ratio | Structural explanation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | Construction | $375M | $1.9M | 0.5% | Construction is obligated up front and spent over several years; single-year ratios swing with project phasing. National and headquarters contracts are often performed or booked in the Washington, D.C. area. USAspending below GDX can reflect items GDX draws from VA's financial systems that have no award row, or rows without a usable state. |
| Arizona | Education & Vocational Rehabilitation/Employment | $246M | $268M | 109.1% | VA states this GDX figure was taken from USAspending.gov, so a gap points to reporting revisions or state assignment rather than an independent difference. Education payments to schools can follow the school's location on one side and the student's residence on the other. USAspending obligations above GDX expenditures can reflect obligations recorded this year and paid next year, or prior-year adjustments. |
| Alaska | Education & Vocational Rehabilitation/Employment | $43.8M | $48.5M | 110.8% | VA states this GDX figure was taken from USAspending.gov, so a gap points to reporting revisions or state assignment rather than an independent difference. Education payments to schools can follow the school's location on one side and the student's residence on the other. USAspending obligations above GDX expenditures can reflect obligations recorded this year and paid next year, or prior-year adjustments. |
| Nebraska | Education & Vocational Rehabilitation/Employment | $47.5M | $52.1M | 109.7% | VA states this GDX figure was taken from USAspending.gov, so a gap points to reporting revisions or state assignment rather than an independent difference. Education payments to schools can follow the school's location on one side and the student's residence on the other. USAspending obligations above GDX expenditures can reflect obligations recorded this year and paid next year, or prior-year adjustments. |
| Delaware | Education & Vocational Rehabilitation/Employment | $22.1M | $24.9M | 112.8% | VA states this GDX figure was taken from USAspending.gov, so a gap points to reporting revisions or state assignment rather than an independent difference. Education payments to schools can follow the school's location on one side and the student's residence on the other. USAspending obligations above GDX expenditures can reflect obligations recorded this year and paid next year, or prior-year adjustments. |
| Vermont | Education & Vocational Rehabilitation/Employment | $14.1M | $15.2M | 108.2% | VA states this GDX figure was taken from USAspending.gov, so a gap points to reporting revisions or state assignment rather than an independent difference. Education payments to schools can follow the school's location on one side and the student's residence on the other. USAspending obligations above GDX expenditures can reflect obligations recorded this year and paid next year, or prior-year adjustments. |
All states · FY2022
The figures behind the map
The same data as the map, for screen readers and for checking. Select a state for its category detail and multi-year trend.
| State | GDX total (all categories) | GDX, compared | USAspending, compared | Coverage ratio | Gap ($), excl. construction | Gap (share) | Variances to review |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $5.5B | $3.6B | $3.6B | 101.3% | $3.2M | 0.09% | 0 of 4 |
| Alaska | $967M | $519M | $524M | 100.9% | $4.7M | 0.91% | 1 of 3 |
| Arizona | $6.3B | $3.5B | $3.5B | 100.7% | $23.4M | 0.67% | 1 of 4 |
| Arkansas | $3.3B | $1.8B | $1.8B | 100.7% | $4.0M | 0.23% | 0 of 4 |
| California | $22.6B | $13.0B | $13.0B | 99.5% | $19.7M | 0.16% | 0 of 4 |
| Colorado | $4.8B | $3.1B | $3.1B | 100.2% | $6.2M | 0.20% | 0 of 3 |
| Connecticut | $1.7B | $787M | $786M | 99.8% | $4.8M | 0.62% | 0 of 4 |
| Delaware | $736M | $432M | $433M | 100.3% | $2.8M | 0.66% | 1 of 4 |
| District of Columbia | $6.1B | $551M | $177M | 32.2% | $0 | 0% | 1 of 4 |
| Florida | $20.7B | $12.3B | $12.3B | 100.3% | $27.4M | 0.22% | 0 of 4 |
| Georgia | $10.0B | $6.8B | $6.8B | 100.0% | $17.5M | 0.26% | 0 of 4 |
| Guam | $158M | $113M | $113M | 100.0% | $0 | 0% | 0 of 2 |
| Hawaii | $1.4B | $895M | $901M | 100.7% | $862K | 0.10% | 0 of 4 |
| Idaho | $1.6B | $917M | $928M | 101.2% | $1.1M | 0.12% | 0 of 4 |
| Illinois | $6.4B | $3.2B | $3.4B | 106.8% | $10.0M | 0.32% | 0 of 4 |
| Indiana | $4.2B | $2.2B | $2.2B | 101.7% | $2.2M | 0.10% | 0 of 4 |
| Iowa | $2.1B | $1.0B | $1.0B | 100.3% | $2.9M | 0.28% | 0 of 3 |
| Kansas | $2.1B | $1.2B | $1.2B | 100.1% | $1.5M | 0.13% | 0 of 3 |
| Kentucky | $3.7B | $2.0B | $2.0B | 98.8% | $4.4M | 0.22% | 0 of 4 |
| Louisiana | $3.8B | $2.1B | $2.1B | 100.2% | $4.4M | 0.21% | 0 of 4 |
| Maine | $1.6B | $843M | $842M | 99.8% | $1.3M | 0.16% | 0 of 4 |
| Maryland | $4.5B | $2.8B | $2.8B | 100.5% | $6.7M | 0.24% | 0 of 4 |
| Massachusetts | $3.7B | $1.8B | $1.8B | 98.9% | $3.2M | 0.18% | 0 of 4 |
| Michigan | $5.8B | $3.2B | $3.2B | 100.2% | $7.1M | 0.22% | 0 of 4 |
| Minnesota | $3.9B | $1.8B | $2.0B | 106.9% | $2.7M | 0.15% | 0 of 4 |
| Mississippi | $2.7B | $1.5B | $1.6B | 101.8% | $1.2M | 0.08% | 0 of 4 |
| Missouri | $5.5B | $2.8B | $2.8B | 99.6% | $5.3M | 0.19% | 0 of 4 |
| Montana | $1.3B | $637M | $638M | 100.2% | $1.2M | 0.19% | 0 of 3 |
| Nebraska | $1.8B | $919M | $928M | 101.0% | $4.9M | 0.53% | 1 of 4 |
| Nevada | $3.3B | $1.9B | $1.9B | 100.6% | $381K | 0.02% | 0 of 4 |
| New Hampshire | $1.1B | $567M | $570M | 100.6% | $3.2M | 0.57% | 0 of 3 |
| New Jersey | $3.1B | $1.9B | $1.9B | 101.2% | $4.7M | 0.25% | 0 of 4 |
| New Mexico | $2.2B | $1.3B | $1.2B | 99.5% | $256K | 0.02% | 0 of 4 |
| New York | $8.0B | $4.0B | $4.0B | 99.6% | $12.1M | 0.31% | 0 of 4 |
| North Carolina | $11.2B | $7.2B | $7.3B | 100.3% | $15.3M | 0.21% | 0 of 4 |
| North Dakota | $635M | $320M | $320M | 100.1% | $178K | 0.06% | 0 of 3 |
| Ohio | $12.0B | $4.0B | $4.0B | 101.2% | $10.6M | 0.27% | 0 of 4 |
| Oklahoma | $4.9B | $3.1B | $3.1B | 98.7% | $1.1M | 0.04% | 0 of 4 |
| Oregon | $3.9B | $2.1B | $2.1B | 99.4% | $1.4M | 0.07% | 0 of 4 |
| Pennsylvania | $7.8B | $4.0B | $4.0B | 101.3% | $9.0M | 0.23% | 0 of 4 |
| Puerto Rico | $2.2B | $1.2B | $1.2B | 98.9% | $1.5M | 0.13% | 0 of 4 |
| Rhode Island | $739M | $364M | $355M | 97.6% | $343K | 0.10% | 0 of 4 |
| South Carolina | $6.0B | $3.8B | $3.8B | 100.2% | $9.7M | 0.25% | 0 of 4 |
| South Dakota | $1.0B | $445M | $511M | 114.8% | $1.5M | 0.34% | 0 of 4 |
| Tennessee | $6.7B | $4.0B | $4.0B | 100.5% | $7.4M | 0.19% | 0 of 4 |
| Texas | $27.4B | $16.5B | $16.5B | 100.3% | $38.7M | 0.24% | 0 of 4 |
| Utah | $1.7B | $966M | $982M | 101.6% | $1.6M | 0.17% | 0 of 4 |
| Vermont | $470M | $220M | $221M | 100.6% | $1.3M | 0.59% | 1 of 3 |
| Virginia | $9.1B | $6.4B | $6.4B | 99.5% | $10.1M | 0.16% | 0 of 4 |
| Washington | $6.2B | $3.9B | $3.9B | 100.2% | $4.0M | 0.10% | 0 of 4 |
| West Virginia | $3.2B | $1.1B | $1.1B | 98.7% | $523K | 0.05% | 0 of 4 |
| Wisconsin | $4.1B | $2.0B | $2.0B | 104.0% | $3.5M | 0.18% | 0 of 4 |
| Wyoming | $736M | $323M | $318M | 98.6% | $176K | 0.06% | 0 of 4 |
← Transparency dashboard
Source: VA NCVAS GDX FY2022 · USAspending.gov award data archive (VA, agency 036)