Approximately 100,000 veterans visit one of 171 VA Medical Centers every single day, VA statistics reveal. National Salute to Veteran Patients Week, held this past week (February 9-15) in 2025, is one of the means by which VA honors and pays tribute to the brave military veterans who receive medical care at VA medical facilities. The designation is usually the week on which Valentine’s Day falls.

Formerly known as Help Hospitalized Veterans Week, National Salute to Veterans Week also seeks to create more awareness about the importance of VA Medical Centers within communities and to encourage larger numbers of people to visit and volunteer. Typical National Salute to Veteran Patients Week events are recreational activities, Valentine swaps, and school visits.

BVA Happenings readers who this week came across or participated in an event related to National Salute to Veteran Patients Week at a VA Medical Center are invited to share the details with our editorial staff for possible placement in a future issue of BVA Happenings or the BVA Bulletin. Please contact us at info@bva.org or call (800) 669-7079 with Public Relations as the contact point. If nothing else, make it a call of duty to celebrate and appreciate in some way your fellow veterans whose selfless service has contributed to the safety and peace of the United States.