what was the veterans administration 
the term veterans administration refers to the previous name of a u s cabinet level department founded at the height of the great depression the veterans administration was formerly an independent government agency it was elevated to a cabinet department in 1989 and underwent a change in title to the u s department of veterans affairs the organization provided and continues to provide medical care benefits and essential services to veterans of the u s armed forces and their families 1understanding the veterans administrationthe veterans administration was established in 1930 after then president herbert hoover signed an executive order making it a federal administration 21 prior to this veterans benefits were handled by three different agencies hoover consolidated them into a single agency to provide medical care benefits and a variety of essential services to veterans of the u s armed forces and their families it also provided burial and memorial benefits to eligible veterans and family members in 1988 president ronald reagan elevated the veterans administration to a u s cabinet level department the change took effect in 1989 and the va was renamed the u s department of veterans affairs 1 as such the u s department of veterans affairs performs all of these functions the department continues to provide some of the provides near comprehensive health care services as well as disability compensation vocational rehabilitation education assistance home loans and life insurance it has three administrations the nca runs 155 national cemeteries throughout the united states and puerto rico providing benefits for all eligible service members and family members burial and memorial benefits include opening and closing of the grave perpetual care a burial flag a headstone marker and a presidential memorial certificate 3the vha is the largest integrated health care system in the united states 4special considerationsthe primary criteria for receiving health care benefits through the va require that you be a military veteran or former member of the national guard or reserve who served on active duty you cannot have been dishonorably discharged specific eligibility depends on when you served and for how long the vha includes 1 298 health care facilities 171 va medical centers and 1 113 outpatient sites it serves more than nine million veterans enrolled in the va health care program vha medical centers provide a wide range of medical services to eligible veterans in addition to medical care the vha also provides specialty services such as dermatology dental care neurology podiatry and vision care 4the veterans benefits administration makes available a variety of benefits and services that provide financial assistance and other forms of help to service members their dependents and survivors the list includes disability compensation education and training life insurance vocational rehabilitation and job placement assistance 5the vba also provides federal guarantees of home loans for qualified applicants to be eligible for a va guaranteed home loan veterans must have served on active duty in the army navy air force coast guard or marines the specific service requirements vary depending on the time period when a veteran served a certificate of eligibility is required to obtain a va loan and the loan can be obtained through any mortgage lender who participates in the va home loan program the va guaranteed home loan is one of the very few 0 down payment loans available in the united states the u s department of agriculture usda rural housing loan is another 6the rules for eligibility for veterans benefits can be fairly complicated but they are well explained on the va s eligibility web page history of the veterans administrationthe roots of the veterans administration date back to 1636 when the pilgrims of plymouth colony voted that the colony would support soldiers disabled by its war with the pequot a native american tribe the continental congress of 1776 enacted pensions for disabled soldiers during the revolutionary war in the 19th century support was extended to widows and dependents of veterans 1veterans benefits expanded during world war i with the first consolidation of world war i veterans programs occurring in 1921 when congress created the veterans bureau in 1930 president herbert hoover elevated the veterans bureau to a federal administration creating the veterans administration 1