U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (2024)

Department of Veterans Affairs
Secretary:	Denis McDonough
Year created:	1989
Official website:	VA.gov

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a United States executive department formed in 1989 to, in President Abraham Lincoln's words, "care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan."^[1] The department stems from the Veterans Administration formed in 1930.^[2]

The department oversees the following agencies: the National Cemetery Administration, the Veterans Benefits Administration, and the Veterans Health Administration.^[3]

Denis McDonough is the secretary of veterans affairs. The Senate confirmed his nomination on February 8, 2021, by a vote of 87-7. He is the second non-veteran to hold the office.^[4] Click here to learn more about his confirmation process.

History

The 1776 Continental Congress recruited soldiers by promising pensions to those who were disabled during their term of duty. In 1881, the first federal medical facility for veterans was established. Prior to the formation of the facility, states and communities were responsible for the care of veterans. More government-run facilities and homes were established after the Civil War. Benefits increased when the U.S. entered World War I, including, "disability compensation, insurance for service persons and veterans, and vocational rehabilitation for the disabled." With increased benefits and agencies disbursing the benefits, the Veterans Administration was established in 1930, bringing all the agencies together. Frank T. Hines was the first administrator of veterans affairs, leading the organization until 1945. The GI Bill was passed in 1944 as the first educational assistance to military personnel.^[2]

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs was officially established as a Cabinet-level department on March 15, 1989, by President George H.W. Bush.^[2]

Mission

The official department mission statement is as follows:

Leadership

Denis McDonough is the secretary of veterans affairs.

Note: Votes marked "N/A" represent voice votes or unrecorded votes. Missing votes will be filled as they are researched.

Organization

Ohio Issue 2 and VA drug price availability
October 19, 2017: A report funded by Ohio Taxpayers for Lower Drug Prices, which supported the state's ballot measure Issue 2, claimed that it is "unclear" how many VA drug prices are not publicly available, but "it does not seem to be many."
How many VA drug prices are not publicly available? Read Ballotpedia's fact check»

See also

External links

• Official Department of Veterans Affairs website
• Department of Veterans Affairs on Facebook
• Department of Veterans Affairs on Twitter
• Department of Veterans Affairs Youtube channel

Footnotes

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v•e The Administrative State
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Bibliography	"Administrative Law - The 20th Century Bequeaths an 'Illegitimate Exotic' in Full and Terrifying Flower" by Stephen P. Dresch (2000) "Confronting the Administrative Threat" by Philip Hamburger and Tony Mills (2017) "Constitutionalism after the New Deal" by Cass R. Sunstein (1987) Federalist No. 23 by Alexander Hamilton (1787) "From Administrative State to Constitutional Government" by Joseph Postell (2012) "Interring the Nondelegation Doctrine" by Eric A. Posner and Adrian Vermeule (2002) "Rulemaking as Legislating" by Kathryn Watts (2015) "The Checks & Balances of the Regulatory State" by Paul R. Verkuil (2016) "The Myth of the Nondelegation Doctrine" by Keith E. Whittington and Jason Iuliano (2017) "The Progressive Origins of the Administrative State: Wilson, Goodnow, and Landis" by Ronald J. Pestritto (2007) "The Rise and Rise of the Administrative State" by Gary Lawson (1994) "The Study of Administration" by Woodrow Wilson (1887) "The Threat to Liberty" by Steven F. Hayward (2017) "Why the Modern Administrative State Is Inconsistent with the Rule of Law" by Richard A. Epstein (2008)
Agencies	Administrative Conference of the United States • United States Civil Service Commission • U.S. Government Accountability Office • U.S. Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs • U.S. Office of Management and Budget