Question:

I am an officer in my local VSO chapter and I have been tasked with giving an oral presentation to my chapter on the history of the VA. Do you by chance have anything handy I could steal, I mean use?

Answer:

Oddly enough I do have what you need.

The United States Department of Veterans Affairs: History and Organization

The United States has the most comprehensive system of assistance for veterans of any nation in the world. This benefits system traces its roots back to 1636, when the Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony were at war with the Pequot Indians. The pilgrims passed a law which stated that disabled soldiers would be supported by the colony.

The Continental Congress of 1776 encouraged enlistments during the Revolutionary War by providing pensions for soldiers who were disabled. Direct medical and hospital care given to veterans in the early days of the Republic was provided by the individual States and communities. In 1811, the first domiciliary and medical facility for veterans was authorized by the Federal Government. In the 19th century, the Nation’s veterans assistance program was expanded to include benefits and pensions not only for veterans, but also for widows and dependents.

After the Civil War, many State veterans homes were established. Since domiciliary care was available at all State veterans homes, incidental medical and hospital treatment provided for all injuries and diseases, whether or not of service origin. Indigent and disabled veterans of the Civil War, Indian Wars, Spanish-American War, and Mexican Border period as well as discharged regular members of the armed forces were cared for at these homes.

Congress established a new system of veterans benefits when the United States entered World War I in 1917. Included were programs for disability compensation, insurance for servicepersons and veterans, and vocational rehabilitation for the disabled. By the 1920’s, the various benefits were administered by three different Federal agencies: the Veterans Bureau, the Bureau of Pensions of the Interior Department, and the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers.

The establishment of the Veterans Administration came in 1930 when Congress authorized the President to “consolidate and coordinate Government activities affecting war veterans.” The three component agencies became bureaus within the Veterans Administration. Brigadier General Frank T. Hines, who directed the Veterans Bureau for seven years, was named as the first Administrator of Veterans Affairs, a job he held until 1945.

The VA health care system has grown from 54 hospitals in 1930, to include 171 medical centers; more than 350 outpatient, community, and outreach clinics; 126 nursing home care units; and 35 domiciliaries. VA health care facilities provide a broad spectrum of medical, surgical, and rehabilitative care. The responsibilities and benefits programs of the Veterans Administration grew enormously during the following six decades. World War II resulted in not only a vast increase in the veteran population, but also a large number of new benefits enacted by the Congress for veterans of the war. The World War II GI Bill, signed into law on June 22, 1944, is said to have had more impact on the American way of life than any law since the Homestead Act more than a century ago. Further educational assistance acts were passed for the benefit of veterans of the Korean Conflict, the Vietnam Era, the All-Volunteer Force, Persian Gulf War and the recent operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In 1973, the Veterans Administration assumed another major responsibility when the National Cemetery System (except for Arlington National Cemetery) was transferred to the Veterans Administration from the Department of the Army. The Agency was charged with the operation of the National Cemetery System, including the marking of graves of all persons in national and State cemeteries (and the graves of veterans in private cemeteries, upon request) as well and administering the State Cemetery Grants Program.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) was established as a Cabinet-level position on March 15, 1989. President Bush hailed the creation of the new Department saying, “There is only one place for the veterans of America, in the Cabinet Room, at the table with the President of the United States of America.”

The VA consists of three different administrations. These administrations are the National Cemetery Administration (NCA), Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) and the Veterans Health Administration (VHA).

The NCA mission is to honor veterans with final resting places in national shrines and with lasting tributes that commemorate their service to our nation. Their purpose is to provide burial space for veterans and their eligible family members. Additionally they maintain national cemeteries and administer grants for establishing or expanding state veterans cemeteries.

The VBA is responsible for providing benefits to veterans and their eligible family members. This includes administering the Department’s programs that provide financial and other forms of assistance to veterans, their dependents, and survivors. Major benefits include veteran’s compensation, veteran’s pension, survivor’s benefits, rehabilitation and employment assistance, education assistance, home loan guaranties, and life insurance coverage.

The VHA is the Nation’s largest integrated health care system with a medical care appropriation in excess of $47 billion dollars. VHA employs more than 239,000 staff at over 1,400 sites, including hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, domiciliaries, and Readjustment Counseling Centers (Vet Centers). In addition, VHA is the nation’s largest provider of graduate medical education and a major contributor to medical research.

All of these services and staff make the VA the second largest Cabinet-level department in the U.S. government. In recent years the VA budget has approached $100 billion dollars and they employ well over 275,000 employees at thousands of VA facilities across the country and in U.S. territories.

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