Uhhh, Tom...
...you know that expenditure data is meaningless without being able to compare it to the number of vets requiring care under the VA system. Given that a war started in 2003 and has been steadily generating casualties in severe need of help, one would expect a corresponding jump in that graph starting at that point.
I consulted the VA Web site and couldn't find any historical data about the number of people served. Perhaps as the local stats wizard, you could track it down to present a balanced picture.