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,
Throughout the history of the United States the government has felt a responsibility to care for those who defend the freedom of the United States. This responsibility is to make sure that our veterans have the best care possible when they return home from war. Since its establishment, the Veterans Affairs (VA) has come under fire from all angles, saying that they are not offering the best possible care for our Veterans. Throughout history yellow journalism has been found to destroy some organizations. The VA is an organization who has experienced the effects of yellow journalism and they are trying to recover. The VA is taking the yellow journalism and turning it into constructive criticism in order to improve their services for the United States Veterans.
I agree with you. The Department of Veteran Affairs has failed many veterans. Moreover, as you stated, with the bureaucratic system that exists, and each change within legislation the agency has had a very difficult time adapting to the change. Furthermore, I attest to your thoughts on these changes in legislation, regulations, political influences, and unrealistic public expectations do contribute to the ineffectiveness of the programs offered by any one of the federal agencies.
Veterans, like anyone else, seek services such as secure housing, nutritional meals, basic physical health care, substance abuse care and aftercare, mental health counseling, personal development and empowerment. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a huge government organization that supports the veteran population by providing services in healthcare. Each year, VA’s specialized homelessness programs provide health care to almost 150,000 homeless veterans in the USA and other services to
Guaranteeing that veterans, their families can retrieve the full range of benefits available to them fighting for the interest of injured heroes on Capitol Hill instructing the public about the great sacrifices of veterans transitioning to civilian life. Offer free professional assistance to veterans, their families in obtaining benefits, services earned through military service are prepared by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) other agencies of government. Offer outreach concerning its program services to the disabled veterans their families specifically. Signifying the interests of disabled veterans, their families, their widowed spouses, their orphans before Congress, the White House the Judicial Branch, as state local government.
The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) was founded in 1930, and today, “operates one of the largest health care delivery systems in the nation, with 168 medical centers and more than 1,000 outpatient facilities organized into regional networks” (GAO, 2017). The VA employs nearly 350,000 people at its facilities and serves approximately 9 million veterans each year (VA, 2017).
While the system is not perfect, and its failings have been widely discussed in the media, the VA does provide a significant healthcare benefit that should not be overlooked even if a veteran is discharged without needing immediate care. VA health benefits include all of the necessary impatient hospital care and outpatient services to promote, preserve, or restore your health. VA medical facilities provide a wide range of services including traditional hospital-based services such as surgery, critical care, mental health, orthopedics, pharmacy, radiology, and physical therapy (Wilson, 2016). Today, wounded veterans and active duty military receive prosthetic devices from the VA or TRICARE at no cost. In fact, new proposals have been discussed to help even veterans more. The Affordable Care Act builds upon the Obama Administration’s commitment for caring for veterans and active duty military ensuring they have the highest quality health care possible. This act expanded health care coverage to more than 30 million Americans and these newly insured individuals will use products made by the medical device industry. More than 33,000 veterans were housed since 2009 by the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Department of Veterans Affairs (Veterans Prosthetic Alliances, 2016). According to Veterans Prosthetic Alliances, a veteran lives in one in five households benefiting from the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, which provides heating
VBA administers a wide variety of benefit programs authorized by Congress including Vocational rehabilitation and employment, Education service and GI Bill, Loan guarantee, Service-connected disability compensation, VA pension and fiduciary services, and VA life insurance. The following organizational chart depicts the current structure of the Veterans Benefits Administration. The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) serves the Veteran population and is responsible for providing a wide range of medical services by providing inpatient and outpatient care to 5.5 million veterans across the United States and its territories. The VHA operates one of the largest networks of health care facilities in the world. It includes 171 medical centers, 800+ outpatient clinics, 127 nursing homes and 196 Vietnam Veterans Outreach Centers. As well as, domiciliary residences, home health services, adult day care, residential care and respite care programs. In addition, the VHA helps support veterans' health care in non-VA hospitals (Choice Program) and is the country’s largest provider of graduate medical education. The following organizational chart depicts the current structure of the Veterans Health Administration. The National Cemetery Administration (NCA) provides burial space for Veterans and their eligible family members; maintains national cemeteries; marks Veterans’ graves with headstones, markers, and medallions; and administers grants for establishing or expanding state and tribal government Veteran cemeteries. The following organizational chart depicts the current structure of the National Cemetery
It ought to be evident at this point that destitute veterans are not being served well by any means. On the off chance that the destitute veterans were legitimately looked after by our nation, the aggregate destitute populace would fall by more than forty percent over night. Destitute administrations would then have adequate subsidizing to move huge numbers of whatever is left of the destitute off the roads into transitional lodging with administrations that bring them again into the working populace. It would be a fantasy works out. If our nation would venture up to the plate, vagrancy in our nation would be essentially disposed of. Vagrancy among veterans is a real issue in United States. There are projects and administrations to help veterans, yet these endeavors are insufficient to viably address the emergency. This paper characterizes destitute veterans, analyzes their conditions, distinguishes current projects that address the issue, presents contentions for business as usual, presents contentions against the norm, and afterward closes with an ethical position.
A little history on the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) which happens to be the largest of three administrations sections within the department. The primary mission of the VHA is to provide quality medical care and services to America’s military Veterans. VHA operates one of the largest health care systems in the world In addition they responsible for providing training to the majority of America’s medical, nursing, and allied health professionals. This account roughly for more 60 percent of all medical residents whom obtain a portion of their training at VA hospitals and our medical research programs benefit society at-large. Today’s VHA continues to meet Veterans’ changing medical, surgical, and quality of life needs. New programs provide treatment for traumatic brain injuries, post-traumatic stress disorder, suicide prevention, women Veterans, and more. For that reason the VA diligently seeks to bring into the administration reliable and highly motivated people. The mindset within the administration that is essential to providing quality health care. With that being said the Department of Veterans Affairs, Human Resource department is vitally important to bringing into all facets of the organization quality personnel in order to accomplish such a complex mission. During a recent interview that conducted with one of VA Human Resource Professional, the following questions were posed to her:
According to the U.S. Department of Veterans’ Affairs, over 8 million adults develop Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder during a given year ("PTSD: National Center for PTSD”). Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is defined as “a pathological anxiety disorder resulting after exposure to a traumatic event” ("Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder”). While any traumatic event may cause PTSD, a primary cause stems from action in war ("Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder”). The Trojan War, as depicted in Homer’s epic The Iliad, demonstrates the setting of which this form of disorder would likely be triggered. Greek warrior and hero Achilles displays common symptoms of PTSD in his journey throughout the epic, leading many researches to conclude he was a
U.S veterans former, and current have fought or are fighting and have died in battle serving this wonderful country. More former veterans than ever are coming back disabled either mentally or physically. There are hundreds of disabled veteran foundations in the United States today, but a lot are a fraud. Everybody who has not served should donate a good amount of money of these foundations and not be worried about the foundations keeping it or giving it to someone else who shouldn’t receive it. We owe our lives to these men and women. Like Elmer Davis once said, ¨Our nation is the land of the brave because it is the home of the brave¨ (Elmer.). More Veterans are coming back disabled than ever before. To see the disgusted and sad faces on these families of these heroes who can’t live the way they used to is extremely depressing, You should
One of the most serious problems facing all veterans today is the lack of proper healthcare. Soldiers, sailors and airmen are leaving active duty without having proper healthcare to cover their physical or mental injuries. The department responsible for veteran’s healthcare is the Department of Veterans Affairs. (VA) According to The department of Veterans Affairs website, “The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a government-run military veteran benefit system with Cabinet-level status. It is responsible for administering programs of veterans’ benefits for veterans, their families, and survivors. The benefits provided include disability compensation, pension, education, home loans, life insurance, vocational
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a health care system that offers programs to benefit veterans and their families. Benefits include, but are not limited compensation payments for disabilities or death related to military service, pensions, education, health care and rehabilitation. The Department of Veteran Affairs functions as the nation’s largest integrated health care system, with more than 1,700 hospitals, clinics, community living centers, domiciliary, readjustment counseling centers, and other facilities. The mission of the VA is 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 (The Department of Veteran Affairs, 2011). This mission statement is based off of President Lincoln 's promise to service members. For the addiction treatment program (ATP), which is part of the mental health division of the VA, their mission statement is to provide person centered and driven assessments, clinical programming, plan of care, treatment plan reviews, transition planning and outpatient and after service to promote the rehabilitation, recovery, health maintenance, quality of life and community integration goals identified by persons served (The Department of Veteran Affairs, 2011, p. 27).
According to the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, there are more than 1,500 locations to receive treatment and care across the country, which divides up to approximately 30 locations per state. The lack of locations may limit some veterans from receiving the care they desire. “Veterans who utilize VA services have worse health status that the general population” (Nelson, Taylor, Lurie, Escarce, McFarland, & Finn, 2011). This implies that the services offered are not sufficient enough to meet the needs of veterans. According to Jack Downing, President and CEO of Soldier On, “Seventy percent of veterans drive twenty-five miles or more to a VA facility.” These facts prove that we need more access for veterans so that they can get the
The U.S Department Veteran’s Affairs (VA) provides a wide range of benefits for our service members, veterans and their families. Some of these benefits include but are not limited to include compensation, disability, education, and home loans. Throughout this paper I will discuss these benefits and the eligibility required to receive them. Eligibility for most VA benefits is based on type of discharge received through the military which is normally all discharges under other than dishonorable conditions.