The Department of Veteran Affairs is deeply rooted in American history. This timeline highlights the role of the VA in the lives of America’s veterans.

1636The Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony battled the Pequot Indians. A law was passed to ensure that disabled soldiers would be supported by the colony.

1776After encouraging enlistments in the Revolutionary War,

the Continental Congress started to provide pensions to

disabled soldiers.

1811Federal government authorized the first medical care

facilities for veterans. Officials expanded the veterans

assistance program to cover widows and dependents.

1834The first federally funded medical facilities

for veterans open.

1873The National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers

became the first government institution for honorably

discharged volunteer soldiers.

1917Congress expanded benefits for soldiers and veterans,

including insurance, disability compensation, home

loans, and vocational rehabilitation.

1920Three separate federal agencies administered benefits

and programs for veterans: the Bureau of Pensions of the

Interior Dept, the Veterans Bureau, and the National Home

for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers.

1930President Herbert Hoover signed Executive Order 5398,

consolidating all three agencies into one: the Veterans

Administration (VA).

1944President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Servicemen’s

Readjustment Act into law, increasing benefits for World

War II veterans.

1973Conscription is ended, and the VA takes over the

National Cemetery System from the Dept of the Army,

except for Arlington National Cemetery.

1989President Ronald Reagan elevated the Veterans

Administration to a cabinet-level executive department

and renamed it the Department of Veterans Affairs.

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