A century and a half ago, after the Civil War had ended, the federal government began an ambitious program of building national hospitals for wounded veterans—a few at first, and then, as those veterans became elderly,…
Category: VA
Aligning Facilities and Needs at the VA
The federal Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) owns or operates 168 medical centers and 1,053 outpatient facilities that serve a population of 8.9 million veterans each year, ranking it among the largest healthcare providers in the…
The Supreme Court and the Rule of Two
In mid-June of this year, the US Supreme Court issued a rare unanimous decision directed at the Department of Veterans Affairs—but that may affect all federal agencies in time as they engage with private contractors for…
Spotlight: VHA
Among the revelations in the unfolding scandal over U.S. veterans’ health care is the sprawling size of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). A vast component of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the VHA runs the…
The VA’s Ambitious Construction Program
As we alluded to in a yesterday’s post, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is in the midst of an ambitious program to build new veterans hospitals, clinics and outpatient centers throughout the nation. This past…
Spotlight: VA
With Veterans Day approaching, we turn our spotlight on the federal government’s second-largest department. With more than 10,000 employees and more than 150 hospitals, 300 vet centers and 800 community-based outpatient clinics—as well as hundreds of…
Spotlight: VBA
The Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) is one of three organizational elements within the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). (The other two are the Veterans Health Administration and the National Cemetery Administration.) VBA is responsible for…