The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a Cabinet-level executive branch department of the federal government charged with providing lifelong healthcare services to eligible military veterans at the 170 VA medical centers and outpatient clinics located throughout the country. Non-healthcare benefits include disability compensation,vocational rehabilitation,education assistance,home loans,and life insurance. The VA also provides burial and memorial benefits to eligible veterans and family members at 135 national cemeteries.
A veteran is a person who has significant experience and expertise in a particular occupation or field. A military veteran is a person who is no longer in a military.
An old soldiers' home is a military veterans' retirement home,nursing home,or hospital,or sometimes an institution for the care of the widows and orphans of a nation's soldiers,sailors,and marines,etc.
The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW),formally the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States,is an organization of U.S. war veterans,who,as military service members fought in wars,campaigns,and expeditions on foreign land,waters,or airspace. The organization was established twice separately,once by James C. Putnam on September 29,1899,in Columbus,Ohio. The VFW is headquartered in Kansas City,Missouri. The organization was congressionally chartered in 1936 under the Presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Robert James Nicholson is an attorney,real estate developer,and a former Republican National Committee chairman. He was the United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs from January 26,2005,until October 1,2007.
The Army &Air Force Exchange Service is the retailer in U.S. Army and Air Force installations worldwide. The Exchange is headquartered in Dallas,Texas,and its director/chief executive officer is Tom Shull. The largest of the Department of Defense's exchange services,it is No. 54 on the National Retail Federation's Top 100 Retailers list.
The Paralyzed Veterans of America,a prominent veterans' service organization in the United States,was established in 1946 to serve the needs of disabled veterans. With 33 chapters and 70 National Service Offices across the US and Puerto Rico,the organization is headquartered in the nation's capital,Washington,D.C. In 1946,a group of service members who returned home from World War II with spinal cord injuries established the Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA). The organization was created to allow its members,veterans of the armed forces living with spinal cord injuries or diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS),to live with independence,dignity,and as productive members of society.
The Disabled American Veterans (DAV) is an organization created in 1920 by World War I veterans for disabled military veterans of the United States Armed Forces that helps them and their families through various means. It was issued a federal charter by Congress in 1932. It currently has over 1 million members. As a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization,it is outside the purview of –and therefore not rated by –Charity Navigator. DAV's Employer Identification Number (EIN) is 31–0263158.
The Oklahoma Department of Veteran Affairs (ODVA) is a department of the state of Oklahoma under the supervision of the Oklahoma Secretary of Veterans Affairs charged with providing medical and rehabilitative services for veterans and their families.
Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA),is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) veterans organization founded by Paul Rieckhoff,an American writer,social entrepreneur,advocate,activist and veteran of the United States Army and the Iraq War. He served as an Army First Lieutenant and infantry rifle platoon leader in Iraq from 2003 through 2004. Rieckhoff was released from the Army National Guard in 2007.
A veteran's pension or "wartime pension" is a pension for veterans of the United States Armed Forces,who served in the military but did not qualify for military retired pay from the Armed Forces. It was established by the United States Congress and given to veterans who meet the eligibility requirements. Along with payments,they are also given additional benefits depending on their eligibility and needs.
Thomas Gunning Kelley is a retired captain in the United States Navy who received the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Vietnam War. From 2003 to 2011 he served as Secretary of the Massachusetts Department of Veterans' Services. He served as the president of the Medal of Honor Society from 2015 to 2017.
The United States has compensated military veterans for service-related injuries since the Revolutionary War,with the current indemnity model established near the end of World War I. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) began to provide disability benefits for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in the 1980s after the diagnosis became part of official psychiatric nosology.
Jaime A. Areizaga-Soto is an American attorney and politician who has served as the chairman of the Board of Veterans' Appeals in the United States Department of Veterans Affairs since September 2022.
The National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention is an American suicide prevention organization coordinating national efforts to advance the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention (NSSP). It is a public/private partnership that,according to them,"catalyzes planning,implementation,and accountability for updating and advancing the NSSP. The Action Alliance works on the 2001 National Strategy for Suicide Prevention and is an outgrowth of the Suicide Prevention Resource Center. The Action Alliance initially focused on three high-risk populations:LGBT youth,American Indians/Alaska Natives,and military/veterans. Part of the group's campaign will be to educate on the warning signs of suicide,promoting the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline,as well as community crisis clinics across the U.S.
The Board of Veterans' Appeals (BVA) is an administrative tribunal within the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA),located in Washington,D.C. Established by Executive Order on July 28,1933,it determines whether U.S. military veterans are entitled to claimed veterans' benefits and services. The Board's mission is to conduct hearings and decide appeals properly before the Board in a timely manner. The Board's jurisdiction extends to all questions in matters involving a decision by the Secretary under a law that affects a provision of benefits by the Secretary to Veterans,their dependents,or their Survivors. Final decision on such appeals are made by the Board based on the entire record in the proceedings and upon consideration of all evidence and applicable provisions of law and regulation. The Board's review is de novo.
Justin Constantine was a lieutenant colonel in the United States Marine Corps and an attorney. While deployed to Iraq as a Civil Affairs officer attached to a Marine infantry battalion for Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2006,he suffered a gunshot wound to the head,from which he recovered. He then went on to be an inspirational speaker and executive at a firm that helps veterans find jobs.
The Chairman of the Board of Veterans' Appeals is a senior position within the United States Department of Veterans Affairs that is responsible for the operation and policies of the Board of Veterans' Appeals,which is the administrative tribunal within the department responsible for holding hearings and issuing decisions on behalf of the Secretary regarding veterans' claims for benefits and services.
Bonnie Carroll is an American widow who is the president and founder of the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS),an organization that provides care,welfare and support to people who have lost a loved one in military service. She is the surviving spouse of Army Brig. Gen. Tom Carroll who died in an Army C-12 crash on November 12,1992. In 2015 she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
