preview

The Department Of Veterans Affairs

Good Essays

Introduction
The Department of Veterans Affairs is a government run program to assist the U.S. Veterans who are disabled soldiers. It began when the Pilgrims passed a law that required disabled soldiers to receive benefits from the colony, as early as 1636 (U.S. Dept. of VA, 2014). By 1776, the Continental Congress provided pensions to disabled soldiers during the Revolutionary War. Later, the Veterans assistance program expanded to include benefits and pensions not only for Veterans, but also for their widows and dependents. Finally, the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) was established in 1865, to form the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, an institution created specifically for the honorably discharged volunteer soldiers, of which the first national home opened in 1866 located in Augusta, Maine (U.S. Dept. of VA, 2014). Today, VHA has expanded the VA health care system, which comprises 150 hospitals, 820 Community-Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOC), 300 Vet Centers, 131 National Cemeteries, 56 Veterans Benefits Administration Regional Offices (NCVAS, 2014). The VA health care system also includes 126 nursing home care units and 35 domiciliaries (U.S Dept. of VA, 2014). Nonetheless, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs mission statement is, “To fulfill President Lincoln’s promise ‘To care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan’ by serving and honoring the men and women who are America’s veterans” (U.S. Dept. of VA,

Get Access