- As we, the interns, dive into the internship to assist the VAPAHCS, we ought to learn more about the history of the Veteran Affairs Department: How it came about, what are its goals, and what are its goals for the near future. Although the VA department was created during the 1930s by the approval of Congress and Franklin D. Roosevelt, there is a history of veteran benefits dating back to the 1600s, when the Pilgrims first arrived. Though not a standard organization or even lacking of a government, the Pilgrims declared that the people who fought against the Indians for their survival must be rewarded with support and care from colony members. During the revolutionary war, soldiers were enlisted into the Revolutionary Army with guarantees that they will be rewarded with pensions from the government. These contributions and services from the government continued into the Civil War. During World War I, programs were created for disability compensation, insurance for service persons and veterans, and vocational rehabilitation for the disabled. By the 1920s, the various benefits were administered by three different Federal agencies: the Veterans Bureau, the Bureau of Pensions of the Interior Department, and the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers. As the Veteran hospitals started to increase nationwide to accommodate the large increase in the number of veterans due to the Vietnam War, the Korean War, and the Gulf war, the VA department started to assume responsibilities that are beyond what it originally aimed for. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) was established as a Cabinet-level position on March 15, 1989. President Bush hailed the creation of the new Department saying, "There is only one place for the veterans of America, in the Cabinet Room, at the table with the President of the United States of America." The mission for the VA can be listed as 16 major initiatives as listed below:
- Eliminating Veteran homelessness
- Enabling 21st century benefits delivery and services
- Automating GI Bill benefits
- Creating Virtual Lifetime Electronic Record
- Improving Veterans' mental health
- Building Veterans Relationship Management capability to enable convenient, seamless interactions
- Designing a Veteran-centric health care model to help Veterans navigate the health care delivery system and receive coordinated care
- Enhancing the Veteran experience and access to health care
- Ensuring preparedness to meet emergent national needs
- Developing capabilities and enabling systems to drive performance and outcomes.
- Establishing strong VA management infrastructure and integrated operating model
- Transforming human capital management
- Performing research and development to enhance the long-term health and well-being of Veterans
- Optimizing the utilization of VA's Capital portfolio by implementing and executing the Strategic Capital Investment Planning (SCIP) process
- Improving the quality of health care while reducing cost
- Transforming healthcare delivery through health informatics
Eric Cheng