Those Who Have Borne the Battle

2023-02-12T09:29:05-05:00

"... let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation's wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan."

These words, spoken by President Abraham Lincoln in his second inaugural address, at a time when in our nation, many on both sides of the Civil War had suffered physical and mental wounds that would affect the rest of their lives, recognized the moral responsibility that our government must provide for the welfare of veterans and their dependents.

These words have become the mission of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. They are at the core of every organization and program within the Department.

The roots of the modern VA began even before our country became an independent nation. In 1636, the Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony passed a law that stated that disabled soldiers would be supported by the colony.

To encourage enlistments, the Continental Congress provided for pensions for disabled soldiers. Individual states and communities provided healthcare to Veterans.

The federal government authorized the first domiciliary and medical facility for Veterans in 1811. In that period, the nation's Veterans assistance program was expanded to include benefits and pensions not only for Veterans, but for their widows and dependents.

In 1917, Congress established a new system of Veterans benefits, including programs for disability compensation, insurance for military personnel and Veterans, and vocational rehabilitation for the disabled.

By the 1920s, three different federal agencies administered the various benefits: the Veterans Bureau, the Bureau of Pensions of the Interior Department, and the National Home for Disabled Veterans.

On August 9, 1921, Congress combined all World War 1 Veterans programs to create the Veterans Bureau. This period marked an ambitious expansion of hospitals to cope with the large numbers of patients suffering from both physical and mental trauma from the horrors of World War 1. Many soldiers had been exposed to mustard gas and other chemicals and fumes that required specialized treatments unknown in civilian hospitals. Tuberculosis and neuro-psychiatric hospitals were opened to accommodate Veterans with respiratory or mental health problems.

On July 21, 1930, President Herbert Hoover signed Executive Order 5398, which elevated the Veterans Bureau to a federal administration - creating the Veterans Administration to "consolidate and coordinate Government activities affecting war veterans."

The Department of Veterans Affairs has continued to evolve to offer additional benefits and services, such as the unemployment benefits, educational assistance, and the VA Home Loan Guaranty Program under the World War II G.I. Bill.

President Reagan elevated the VA to a cabinet-level executive department in October 1988. The Veterans Administration was then renamed the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Through all these changes, the VA has remained faithful to its mission to "to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan."

Response by PO2 Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 12 at 2023 9:54 AM

2023-02-12T09:54:05-05:00

Thanks for the V.A. history.

Response by SGT Mary G. made Feb 12 at 2023 10:07 AM

2023-02-12T10:07:41-05:00

Ryan Callahan Thanks for the history!
One of those early veterans benefits was military bounty land grants to Revolutionary War veterans and their heirs primarily in territory that later became Kentucky and Ohio, which fueled the westward movement trend.

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Feb 12 at 2023 11:46 AM

2023-02-12T11:46:25-05:00

Good timeline. However, history will prove the VA has been remiss.

Response by CPT Richard Trione made Feb 15 at 2023 10:58 AM

2023-02-15T10:58:14-05:00

Thank you so much for sharing.

Response by CPL LaForest Gray made Feb 18 at 2023 7:41 AM

2023-02-18T07:41:34-05:00

FACTS and Information EVERY Veteran needs to know :

1.) Include VA's Disability Payments in Taxable Income

By law, VA's disability ratings (the basis for disability payments) are to be based, as far as practicable, on the average earnings that veterans would be expected to lose given the severity of their service-connected medical conditions or injuries, whether or not a particular veteran's condition reduced his or her earnings.

Disability compensation is not means-tested (that is, restricted to those with income below a certain amount), and payments are exempt from income taxes. Payments are in the form of monthly annuities and typically continue until the beneficiary's death.

** This option would include VA's disability benefit payments in taxable income.

SOURCE : https://www.cbo.gov/budget-options/58695

It would be a very unwise decision …

2.) End VA’s Individual Unemployability Payments to Disabled Veterans at the Full Retirement Age for Social Security

* This option consists of two alternatives. Under the first, VA would stop making IU payments to veterans age 67 or older (the full retirement age for Social Security benefits for those born after 1959). That restriction would apply to both current and prospective recipients. When veterans reach age 67, all VA disability payments would revert to the amount associated with the rated disability level; veterans age 67 or older who are already receiving IU payments would no longer receive them after the effective date of the option.

* Under the second alternative, veterans who began receiving the IU supplement after December 2023 would no longer receive those payments once they reached age 67, and no new applicants age 67 or older would be eligible for IU benefits after that date. Veterans who are currently receiving IU payments and who would reach age 67 or older after the effective date of the option would continue to collect the IU supplement.

SOURCE: https://www.cbo.gov/budget-options/58653

Include VA's Disability Payments in Taxable Income | Congressional Budget Office

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) provides disability compensation to veterans with medical conditions or injuries that occurred or worsened during active-duty service. By law, VA's disability ratings (the basis for disability payments) are to be based, as far as practicable, on the average earnings that veterans would be expected to lose given the severity of their service-connected medical conditions or injuries, whether or not a...

Response by CPL LaForest Gray made Feb 18 at 2023 7:41 AM

2023-02-18T07:41:35-05:00

Include VA's Disability Payments in Taxable Income | Congressional Budget Office