The United States has compensated soldiers who were injured while fighting for their country since the Revolutionary War. It was not until after the Civil War, however, that the government established the first federally funded program, the National Homes for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers (NHDVS), to care for Veterans who served during times of war. VA History Office Intern Kara Wheeler has complied a collection of early 20th century postcards, images, and newspaper clippings to capture the architecture and community during the time when Civil War era Veterans participated in VA’s story.
Congress passed the bill creating the NHDVS on March 3, 1865, and President Abraham Lincoln signed it into law on the same day. The act established the first federal program to meet the medical and rehabilitative needs of America’s Veterans. The NHDVS set out to provide a home-like environment while also incorporating military structure. The first national home, called the Eastern Branch, opened in 1866 at Togus, Maine. Ten more branches were added to the NHDVS system over the next 60-plus years. After World War I, the focus of the national homes shifted from residential care to providing short-term medical treatment for returning soldiers and Veterans.
By Kara Wheeler
VA History Office intern; Graduate student at George Washington University, Museum Studies Program; and Army Veteran.
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Exhibits
In 2024, the National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic, hosted by the Grand Junction VA Medical Center and co-presented with Disabled American Veterans, will donate adaptive ski equipment from the early years of the event to the National VA History Center in Dayton, Ohio. The clinic started in 1986 when VA established it and then held the the inaugural event at Powderhorn the following year. The clinic welcomed approximately 90 Veterans from 27 states, bolstered by a volunteer staff of about 20. Despite skepticism from many health professionals of the era, the clinic underscored the importance of physical activity for persons of all abilities.
This exhibit includes multiple items that were used at the early clinics, which are finding a new home at the National VA History Center.
Exhibits
While Veterans engaged in activities and learned trades at the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers (NHDVS) since its inception after the Civil War, formal occupational therapy programs became components of rehabilitative care for Veterans beginning in the 20th century. This exhibit explores what type of activities were used to treat Veterans by showing items from the collection at the National VA History Center.
Exhibits
VA History Exhibit - While women have served in nearly all of America’s wars, some only achieved the right to Government-provided health care after World War One. This exhibit examines how women Veterans obtained admittance to the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers 100 years ago in 1923, and profiles what care looked like for these first women patients.
