The Department of Veterans Affairs will immediately stop reporting some veterans to the FBI’s background-check database solely because they need a fiduciary to manage their VA benefits — a change that could remove a barrier to buying firearms for certain disabled veterans previously flagged in the system.
- What changed: VA said it will no longer submit a veteran’s name to the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) based only on the veteran’s participation in VA’s fiduciary program, according to Federal Times.
- Who is affected: Disabled veterans who have a VA-appointed fiduciary to help manage benefit payments — and who were previously reported to NICS on that basis — may no longer be flagged going forward, Federal Times reported.
- Why it matters: A NICS record can block a firearm purchase from a federally licensed dealer during the required background check.
- Effective date: VA said the change is effective immediately, Federal Times reported.
- What’s not in the announcement: Federal Times reported VA did not frame the change as a blanket restoration for all impacted veterans; the shift is tied to ending reporting solely due to fiduciary status.
- Program at issue: VA’s fiduciary program is used when VA determines a beneficiary needs help managing VA funds; a fiduciary can be a family member, friend, or other appointed person.
Brief context
Federal law restricts firearm possession for certain individuals, including those adjudicated as a “mental defective” or committed to a mental institution. In past years, VA’s practice of reporting some beneficiaries to NICS after finding them unable to manage their financial affairs — and assigning a fiduciary — has been controversial among veterans’ advocates and lawmakers, who argued the process could affect gun rights without a separate court determination.
Federal Times reported VA’s updated approach stops using fiduciary status alone as the trigger for NICS reporting. The practical impact is that some veterans who require help managing VA benefits may no longer be automatically entered into the FBI database as a result of that benefits-related determination.
Veterans who believe they were previously reported to NICS due to fiduciary status — and who want to understand potential next steps — may need to monitor VA guidance on how prior records will be handled and what documentation, if any, is required to correct a record. For general VA benefits guidance, see FedInfo’s VA benefits guides (https://fedinfo.org).
Source: Federal Times (Feb. 18, 2026), “VA restores gun rights to some disabled veterans” — https://www.federaltimes.com/news/pentagon-congress/2026/02/18/va-restores-gun-rights-to-some-disabled-veterans/