U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
U.S. federal cabinet-level department providing health, benefits, and memorial services to military veterans and their families.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs – About VAThe U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a cabinet-level federal department headquartered in Washington, D.C., whose roots trace to 1865 when President Lincoln signed legislation establishing care facilities for Civil War soldiers. It was elevated to cabinet-level status in 1989 under President George H.W. Bush. The VA's mission is to fulfill the nation's commitment to care for those who served in the U.S. Armed Forces, as well as their families, caregivers, and survivors.
The department operates through three component agencies: the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA), and the National Cemetery Administration (NCA). The VHA is the largest integrated healthcare network in the United States, with 1,255 facilities serving 9 million enrolled veterans annually. The VBA administers compensation, pension, education, home loan guaranty, and other benefits programs, while the NCA oversees national cemeteries and memorial affairs.
In scale, the VA is second only to the Department of Defense among federal agencies, employing approximately 482,831 civilian workers as of September 2024—a 56.4% increase since 2010. The department has requested a total budget of $488.2 billion for fiscal year 2027, a 7.7% increase over FY 2026 enacted levels.
Given the VA's vast healthcare infrastructure and responsibility for millions of veterans, innovations in healthcare delivery, benefits processing, digital services, and data management are directly relevant to its core operations and ongoing modernization efforts.