U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

VA’s Veterans Health Administration is the largest integrated health care network in the United States, with 1,255 health care facilities serving 9 million enrolled Veterans each year. Veterans can earn a range of benefits that help them transit an earn a range of benefits that help them transition back to civilian life in the country they fought to defend. Through the Veterans Benefits Administration, VA helps service members transition out of military service, and assists with education, home loans, life insurance and much more. The job of the National Cemetery Administration is to make sure those who served this nation are never forgotten. NCA provides dignified burial services for Veterans and eligible family members by maintaining more than 150 cemeteries as national shrines and provides digital memorialization at the Veterans Legacy Memorial to commemorate their legacy, service and sacrifice to our nation. VA’s “Fourth Mission” is to improve the Nation’s preparedness for response to war, terrorism, national emergencies, and natural disasters by developing plans and taking actions to ensure continued service to Veterans, as well as to support national, state, and local emergency management, public health, safety and homeland security efforts. Integrity: Act with high moral principle. Adhere to the highest professional standards. Maintain the trust and confidence of all with whom I engage. Commitment: Work diligently to serve Veterans and other beneficiaries. Be driven by an earnest belief in VA’s mission. Fulfill my individual responsibilities and organizational responsibilities. Advocacy: Be truly Veteran-centric by identifying, fully considering, and appropriately advancing the interests of Veterans and other beneficiaries. 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.What is the history of the Department of Veteran Affairs? The origin story of the modern VA includes several previous entities and names dating as far back as the American colonies. To help understand that legacy, this site serves as the centralized digital location for VA’s history with the focus of educating about the special relationship between the nation and its Veterans, including how that has impacted society. Here there are various stories and exhibits that examine the individuals, institutions and innovations of the last 250 years. There have been multiple agencies that have provided the service and benefits to America’s Veterans, including the Bureau of Pensions, National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, National Cemetery System, Bureau of War Risk Insurance, Veterans Bureau, and Veterans Administration, all of which are referenced on the preceding pages. The National VA History Center is the forthcoming museum and archival center for the historical collection and records pertaining to the Department of Veterans Affairs and its legacy agencies. It is located at the Dayton VA Medical Center campus, itself a designated National Historic Landmark. While the idea of the history center is not new, recent actions to make it a reality are. Ceremonies marking its official establishment – and the start of renovation work on two historic buildings to house the collection – were held in August 2020. The public opening of the facility isn’t expected for several years, but great work is ongoing behind the scenes. Look for monthly updates in the Curator Corner, illustrating the multi-faceted steps that go into establishing a museum and its collection as well as the archives with its growing amount of records from scratch. This will be the GO-TO home for the History Center. The National VA History Center has a growing Archives department that is spearheading the way to provide public access to historical documents related to the Department of Veterans Affairs and its predecessor organizations. The History of VA in 100 Objects exhibit spotlights the objects that illuminate how the nation has honored and cared for Veterans from 1776 to the present. New entries are added every few weeks as we continue the countdown to the 100th Object. Click on the link below to view all of the entries published to date or you can search them by using the magnifying glass icon on this page. Join the journey through VA’s past, object by object. Our Featured Stories section provides scholarly researched and written content on the people, places, events and innovations that illustrate VA’s remarkable evolution serving Veterans since the start of our nation. These are longer stories, with historical details on the rich lineage of VA and the significant moments in time. A collection of virtual exhibits covering various historical aspects of VA, presented with focus on visual images that have been pulled from archives across the nation. Most use an exhibit-host to showcase specific topics with compelling pictures and research that go beyond stories and features. Eventually, VA’s story will be displayed to the public at the National VA History Center at the Dayton, Ohio VA campus. All information related to that effort will be found here as well.Our Mission: To fulfill President Lincoln’s promise to care for those who have served in our nation’s military and for their families, caregivers, and survivors. In addition to our primary mission, VA carries out four specific missions to make good on our commitment to Veterans and other beneficiaries. ...view more