The Alaska Native Vietnam-era Veteran Land Allotment Program (ANVLAP) has been plagued by slow implementation, with only 38 out of nearly 2,000 eligible veterans certified for land allotments since its inception in 2019.
The program, established by the Dingell Act, provides Alaska Native veterans who served during the Vietnam War era (1964-1971) with the opportunity to claim 160-acre land allotments, a benefit they were unable to apply for due to their military service.
In response to the slow progress, U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, has expressed frustration, stating that the Department of the Interior, led by Secretary Deb Haaland and President Biden, has “slow rolled” the program.
Despite the recent expansion of eligible land under a new Public Land Order, adding 11.1 million acres to the original 1 million acres, the program’s implementation continues to fall short, with only a few veterans receiving their allotments.
Senator Sullivan, along with Senator Lisa Murkowski, is working on legislation to extend the program for another five years and to expand land availability, particularly in Southeast Alaska, to help veterans claim land near their homes.
The current act, set to expire in December 2025, has seen significant delays and partisan disagreements on available lands, complicating the process for eligible veterans.
Sullivan remains hopeful that a bill extending the program will pass by the end of the year, though it must still clear the House.