What does veterans affairs do

Medical conditions stemming from exposure to chemicals used by US armed forces, such as Agent Orange, were challenged by the federal government, making it difficult for veterans to receive treatment. Homelessness became a serious problem for many Vietnam veterans unable to receive help or to cope with their conditions.

These problems remain decades later. Veterans of the Gulf War and Iraq, like their Vietnam brethren, are fighting today for recognition of their medical maladies, such as Gulf War Syndrome, which includes symptoms of fatigue, skin rash, headache, muscle and joint pain, memory loss and difficulty concentrating, shortness of breath, sleep problems, gastrointestinal problems and chest pain. PTSD also continues to be a serious problem.

From to , the number of veterans receiving disability compensation for PTSD increased from , to more than , During the past 20 years, the federal government has implemented two significant changes to the VA system. The same legislation extended the right of burial in a national cemetery to merchant marines, adding to the inclusion of soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, National Guardsmen, reservists and ROTC of the armed services, as well as immediate family members of veterans. Twenty-two Veterans Integrated Service Networks VISNs were established geographically around the country to meet all of the health care needs of veterans.

While VA hospitals continued to serve an important role in the new system, community-based outpatient clinics grew considerably in size, from fewer than in to in Official VA History. Perlin, Robert M. Kolodner and Robert H. Roswell, American Journal of Managed Care. The Best Care Anywhere: Ten years ago, veterans hospitals were dangerous, dirty, and scandal-ridden. Today, they're producing the highest quality care in the country. Their turnaround points the way toward solving America's health-care crisis.

What it Does: The Department of Veterans Affairs VA provides the millions of American veterans and their dependents with health care services, benefits programs and access to national cemeteries. VA employs more than , people at hundreds of medical centers, nursing homes, benefits offices and national cemeteries throughout the country.

These services include education and vocational rehabilitation benefits, pensions, home loans and life insurance. VBA operates 57 regional offices and utilizes nine service delivery networks to provide all of its services to veterans and their families. Providing pensions and disability compensation to veterans represents one of the largest tasks of the VBA.

More than 2. Disability compensation is paid to veterans with service-connected disabilities, meaning the disability was a result of disease or injury incurred or aggravated in the line of duty during active service. Veterans with non-service-related disabilities may be eligible for VA pension programs if the veteran served during wartime but became permanently and totally disabled outside of military duty.

Pensions may also be paid to the survivors of wartime veterans. The largest education benefit dispensed by the VBA is through the Montgomery GI Bill MGIB , which provides up to 36 months of funding for veterans to study at colleges, technical or vocational schools.

The GI Bill also supports apprenticeships and job training. Veterans from the reserve have different eligibility requirements and different rules for receiving benefits. MGIB may also be used by members of the military while still on active duty. MGIB benefits may be used up to 10 years from the date of last discharge or release from active duty. The year period can be extended if the veteran was prevented or delayed due to disability or because they were held by a foreign government or power.

Vocational rehab and counseling provides services and assistance necessary to enable veterans with service-related disabilities to gain and keep employment. In the event a veteran's disability prohibits suitable employment, the program offers help so the veteran can achieve independence in living. Program services can include evaluation of rehabilitation needs, employment services, medical and dental care, financial counseling and education or training to develop marketable job skills.

Veterans pursuing education or training may also receive a subsistence allowance. These cases generally involve rural areas, small cities and towns.

VBA also offers life insurance to service members and veterans who may not be able to get insurance from private companies because of the extra risks involved in military service, or because of a service-related disability. Veterans Health Administration : VHA is responsible for providing a wide range of medical services to 5.

VHA operates a network of health care facilities that includes medical centers, outpatient clinics, nursing home care units and Vietnam Veterans Outreach Centers. Medical and health programs run by the VHA include Agent Orange research, rehabilitation services for blind veterans, care for women veterans, assistance to homeless vets, care for veterans suffering from multiple traumas and research into war-related injuries. National Cemetery Administration : NCA maintains national cemeteries across the United States for the burial of veterans and their family members.

NCA currently maintains more than 2. The cemeteries occupy more than 17, acres, and just over half of that acreage is undeveloped, allowing for growth to reach in excess of four million gravesites. The largest recipients of VA contracts were McKesson Corporation and AmerisourceBergen, both of which specialize in distributing medicines and medical supplies from manufacturers to pharmacies, hospitals and other healthcare outlets. They are followed by notable multinational companies such as General Electric and Siemens and defense contractor Northrop Grumman.

The full top 10 list of contractors is as follows:. EDS, a leading information technology company founded by Texas entrepreneur and former president candidate Ross Perot, has signed several contracts with VHA to help run its computer systems. Another IT giant, Unisys Corp. Flowcast helps with patient access management, patient financials, document imaging and business intelligence. VHA also contracts with architecture and engineering firms when it comes time to build new medical facilities.

Controversies: Avoiding Stress Disorder Diagnoses. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, a growing mental health disorder among combat veterans, should be avoided as a diagnosis, argued one VA senior psychologist in May Veterans Affairs Secretary James B.

Officials said nearly 40, troops have been diagnosed with the illness since , although it was believed many more were likely keeping their illness a secret. During the State of the Union address, the President called on Congress to allow US troops to transfer their unused education benefits to family members. The proposal was a late addition to the speech after President Bush decided that he wanted to announce a program that would favor military families. This decision left little time to vet the idea, and some administration officials were caught off-guard by the move.

Nevertheless, the idea of extending education benefits is generating bipartisan interest on Capitol Hill, although it remains to be seen if funding will make it into the next budget. VA officials concede that the cost would probably soar if most families make full use of the benefits.

In addition to extending education benefits, President Bush called for expanded access to childcare for military families and for new preferences for military spouses competing for positions in the federal government. Pentagon officials are still working on cost estimates for these proposals. In Washington, D. After decades of sharing data about cancer cases among veterans, VA officials stopped releasing such information to states.

The decision has resulted in skewed results not only for military medical records but for tracking of cancer trends across the country, said some civilian medical officials. The move by the VA has prompted conspiracy theories among veterans advocates wondering what the department is trying to hide. Although the VHA has made considerable progress since the mids to improve its delivery of health care services to veterans, problems continue to plague the department and its facilities.

Ten of the 34 injured patients later died, but investigators were unable to link the deaths to the care provided at the medical facility.

The failures at Marion prompted VHA to review not only the medical credentials of doctors at the Illinois facility but also those of 17, other health care providers across the country. Problems ranging from poor sanitation procedures to failures in maintaining pharmacy drug controls were cited. Using VA reports, as well as information obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, McClatchy analyzed million records, including every medical appointment in the system in , and spoke with mental-health experts, veterans and their families.

The investigation found that nearly local VA clinics provided virtually no mental health care in and that care among those facilities that did was inconsistent.

In some places, veterans received individual psychotherapy sessions, while others met mostly for group therapy. Some veterans were cared for by psychiatrists while others saw only social workers.

The same investigation also discovered that VHA was not providing enough resources to help veterans coping with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Respect: Treat all those I serve and with whom I work with dignity and respect. Show respect to earn it.

Excellence: Strive for the highest quality and continuous improvement. Be thoughtful and decisive in leadership, accountable for my actions, willing to admit mistakes, and rigorous in correcting them.

Veterans Crisis Line: Press 1. Complete Directory. If you are in crisis or having thoughts of suicide, visit VeteransCrisisLine. Attention A T users. To access the combo box on this page please perform the following steps.

Press the alt key and then the down arrow. Use the up and down arrows to navigate this combo box. The amount of the annual budget for the Department of Veterans Affairs. The beginning of the U. Department of Veterans Affairs dates back to when the Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony voted that the colony would support soldiers disabled by its war with the Native American tribe called the Pequot.

During the Revolutionary War, the Continental Congress of enacted pensions for disabled soldiers. In the 19th century, support was extended to the widows and dependents of veterans. Veterans' benefits expanded during World War I, with the first consolidation of World War I veterans' programs occurring in when Congress created the Veterans Bureau.

In , President Herbert Hoover elevated the Bureau to a federal administration. The change took effect in , and the VA adopted the new title of the U. Department of Veterans Affairs. He was nominated by the Biden administration and sworn in as the secretary of Veterans Affairs in February Retirement Planning. Health Insurance. Financial Planning. Personal Finance. Your Privacy Rights. To change or withdraw your consent choices for Investopedia.

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