Veterans Administration

The Declaration of Independence and the first Revolutionary War benefits act were both approved 250 years ago during the tumultuous summer of 1776. These events were linked. Delegates to the Second Continental Congress waited until they had settled the question of independence before deciding how to treat the citizen-soldiers wounded in service to the Nation.

The Arlington Building, known today as the VA Central Office (VACO) Building, has been the central location for management of services to Veterans for over 100 years. While VA and its immediate predecessors have been the sole occupants of 810 Vermont Avenue since the building opened in the fall of 1918, the intended purpose of the completed building would change several times. The story of today’s VACO includes the origins of a new Nation and its capital, the demolition of a well-known landmark, bankruptcy, war, and a backstory of land ownership tied to one of the capital’s most prominent families.

Dr. Valerija Raulinaitis was a trailblazing figure at VA. In October 1962, she made history by becoming the first female Chief of Staff at a VA hospital. Just nine years later, she again broke barriers by becoming the first woman to be named Director of a VA hospital. These appointments were representative of a career in medicine that spanned over three decades and exemplified perseverance, patience, and a complete commitment to her profession.

From the earliest days of the Nation, volunteers have supported Service members, Veterans and their families. From Revolutionary War camp followers, to the U.S. Sanitary Commission during the Civil War and the American Red Cross of WWI, volunteers have mobilized nationwide relief efforts and provided the framework for the first Veterans hospitals system.

In 1918, the U.S. government created the first nationwide vocational training program for disabled Veterans. Over the next 10 years, more than 100,000 Veterans completed training courses in every field from agriculture and manufacturing to business and photography.

In a first, the 1840 census collected data on Veterans and widows receiving a pension from the federal government. The government published its findings in a stand-alone volume titled “A Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services.”

The Southern Branch of the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers opened in Hampton, Virginia, in late 1870. The circumstances surrounding the purchase of the property, however, prompted an investigation into the first president of the National Home’s Board of Managers, Benjamin Butler.

In 1933, VA staff presented agency chief Frank Hines with a scrapbook commemorating his ten years of service to Veterans. Intended as a personal keepsake for Hines, the scrapbook also offers a snapshot of a particular time in VA history.

Leadership change is something that happens constantly, whether it’s due to promotion, health, or other circumstances. At the Department of Veterans Affairs’ Northern Arizona Medical Center (formally known as Whipple VA Hospital) in Prescott, Arizona, directors have stayed in their position on average, three to five years. The shortest stint was 22 months, the longest was 16 years and two months. Most former directors moved on and retired elsewhere. However, two former directors, Paul N. Schmoll and Virgil I. McIntyre, either returned to or stayed in Prescott following their retirement. Both men are laid to rest at local cemeteries in the Prescott, Arizona, area.

In 1941, Dr. Margaret Craighill left her post as dean to serve in WWII, becoming the first woman doctor commissioned in the military and later a VA consultant.

In 1925, 100 years ago, the Veterans Bureau initiated the first hospital-based medical research studies to address Veteran-specific issues like mental health, tuberculosis, cancer and toxic exposure. The program has since made significant medical breakthroughs and innovations, impacting the world.

In 2026, the United States will celebrate the 250th anniversary of its independence. While this will be the Department of Veterans Affairs’ first national milestone anniversary since becoming a cabinet-level department in 1989, its predecessor organizations, including the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, the Pension Bureau, the Veterans Bureau, and the Veterans Administration, routinely participated in the nation’s previous milestone celebrations. Each served to honor the contributions of American Veterans in preserving our freedom.