Medical Care of Veterans: A Brief History

Extreme Makeover: Transformation of the Veterans Health Care System

“…Public support of disabled veterans is deeply embedded in American culture, dating back to colonial days (161,234,260). Funding of veterans programs has been primarily the federal government's responsibility because national defense and foreign policy are vested with the federal government, and veterans are a result of policies in these areas.…”

“…Health care benefits for veterans were originally limited to infirmary care provided by the Public Health and Marine Hospital Services [later renamed the U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS)] or civilian contract hospitals (161,234,260).…”

“…(Veterans of the Confederate Army were denied federal benefits until 1958, at which time only two remained alive.) President Lincoln set the precedent for the government providing institutional care for veterans when he established the National Asylum for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers in 1866, later renamed the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers (123,161,234,260).…”

“…The number of veterans needing medical care sharply increased again after World War I, prompting Congress to increase health care benefits for veterans and, in 1922, to transfer 57 USPHS hospitals to the U.S. Veterans Bureau (161). In 1924, Congress approved hospital care for indigent veterans without serviceconnected disabilities, establishing the legal basis for the system's role as a national safety net (123,153,221,264).…”

“…The system grew rapidly during the late 1940s and 1950s, adding more than 70 new hospitals, establishing academic affiliations and teaching programs, expanding research activities, and instituting new venues of care (161,234). During these years, the VA emphasized hospital inpatient care by medical specialists, consistent with what was then viewed as the best medical care.…”